A Motherly Trial

Long have I been unheeded, much to my sorrow,
Yet if you wish to depart, prove your strength on the morrow.
Know this—aye, even the gentlest hand,
Can move the heart of one who seems most firm to stand.

Show me your courage, you whom I have guided,
Let not my years of care be unheeded or misguided.
Never did I foresee you would leave so soon,
And so, with a heavy heart, I offer this tune.

But before you step beyond this door,
Grant me a promise, I implore.
For as you seek the path you deem your own,
Never again return to this home.