working with them is fragile
but someone has to do it

you never know when they’ll break
you never know when they’ll cry
when they’ll scream
when they’ll shout

you spend what feels like a lifetime
pulling at the strings until they’re finally ready
ready to leave
ready to grow up
with the gentle hand they’re used to you push them
towards the sky
with colorful ribbons flailing
as the wind whips around them and
then starts to die down

you have to release more string to keep it tight
to keep them up
to keep them in the wind

they laugh
the soft
sweet laugh
the laugh you’ve heard their entire life

you keep unwinding the string you’ve been attached with
but all too soon they’ve been consumed by bright blue skies and pure white clouds
and then string breaks
with a soft tug your remaining string falls back to earth
and they fly away
you weren’t ready for that moment
no one ever is
but the best thing about that moment is
a Child will never know just how much love and care and time you put into them
no they won't know
they won't know
not until that string that breaks