a child's heartbreak

I hear his ragged breath, stifled sobs,
the painful sounds of a broken heart.
there are so many miles between us,
I can't hold his grief, I can't change what is
I can only listen on the phone, straining
to understand his words over a background
of howling wind as he crosses the Mass Ave
bridge tonight,
I have been there so many times,
in the cold and all alone, I know this place.
All I can do is be there listening
so he is not all alone, I am also
carrying his grief.
this is motherhood.