Virtual Nest

I know how to cut and paste.

This skill, acquired late in life,
allows me to forward articles from
a variety of journals and newspapers
to my grown children,

who, I suspect,
rarely open them.
I remain undaunted.

How else to keep them safe,
remind them to exercise,
get a colonoscopy,
get their teeth cleaned?

Hiding behind the work
of respected journalists
I nurture the delusion
that I am just a conduit
passing on vital information,

despite knowing what
my kids have known for years:
that I have miserably failed
to cap the angst of motherhood
to keep everyone I love perfectly
safe, always.

Miraculously, my sons
have mastered the
fine art of simultaneously loving,
ignoring, carrying on, as I

cut and paste,
hit send.

Anita S. Pulier, yourdailypoem.com, May 12, 2020