You may be grateful for the many things
kind elders taught you,
you may wish you had wise elders
where you had none

But if you’ve ridden on strong shoulders
or floundered on your own,
you still will meet a challenge
that you face alone

And this is where you’ll learn
to tap the infinite,
this is your moment
to take off and fly.
Everyone must do it,
so we all can –
it is the one, the first and final,
empowerment of man.

©Wendy Mulhern
October 14, 2023