At the gates

Sunday morning parting
Part-time parent
At the gate of the park
The last embrace
Tears and tenderness
Located on an open drive
Shrugged into winter coats
Autumn leaves swarming
By their feet
Breath fogging out words
And emotions
One weekend in three
A last hug
A turned away farewell
One child
One parent waiting
One parent aching
Arms reaching round
The last minutes tick by too fast
A last goodbye
Making promises that can’t be broken