Poem: Tether Ball

Tether Ball 

~~Ginger Hamilton (Caudill)

I am a tether ball pole.

You, my child, are attached to me

You swing freely but will always be

Tethered to me, your center

Your originating point

Your base

I remain steady

You have swung far and wide

Wild and free, or tentatively

I was always there

Am always here

Will always be 

If you need to touch base

Just swing by

I'm always home

Sometimes you cry and claim

I left you, I was never there

I was always here; it was you who left

You can leave behind your father

But your mother?

You carry your mother with you

Even when you cut the cord

The impression remains

The connection exists

If you require proof

I'm no further away

Than your navel