Grandparents are allowed to indulge the young.

With time’s passing grandparents wither, and learn the lesson of letting go.

HUB OF A WHEEL BY UTE CARSON 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 70

A secure childhood builds trust.

A child learns to love by being loved.

Nurture reflects and molds nature.

Seeds germinate in dark reaches of soil

and burrow up to the light.

Greening tendrils need protection and care.

Grandparents can have a part in this venture.

They can relieve busy parents—

cradle babies, sing lullabies, tell stories,

and lend a finger to steady attempts at first steps.

Grandparents are allowed to indulge the young.

Shared laughter is unencumbered by everyday concerns.

Sunlight strokes the little shoots,

and when stalks grow tall as a horse’s head

grandparents’ hearts brim over with joy.

With time’s passing grandparents wither,

and learn the lesson of letting go.

They may not witness the full flowering or

participate in the harvest of their offspring.

But they will know the satisfaction

of having been, for a while, a hub in the wheel of life.