Haiku Your Hearts Out, Boy Moms

You remember haiku. A three-line poem with 17 syllables: Five, then seven, then five. Haiku is just ideal for moms because when you only have 17 syllables, you tend to get right to the heart of the matter -- like how quickly your boy is becoming a man.

You can probably also count to 17 syllables faster than a teenage boy can polish off your Milanos. Probably.

My son's growing hand
nearly the same size as mine
escaping my grasp.

Cleaning the boys' bath
considering the merits
of Don't Ask Don't Tell.

Son, come sit by me.
Talk to me for a minute.
Without the earbuds.

Demand remains high
but the supply is dwindling.
"Hugs will cost you, Mom."

Minute to minute
shape-shifting before our eyes:
boy to man to boy.

When at the movies
ask your son "Is this a date?"
to get the armrest.

First time in a tie
because a girl told him to
(not including me).

PSA for moms:
Do not wink at your teen son
in a crowd of dudes.

The seedling planted
when our boy was a toddler,
now too tall to prune.

Up late studying
he wanders out, bleary-eyed.
"You can tuck me in."

Turning out the light
telling him that I love him
with his baby name.

My arms circled him
from the minute he was born.
Now, his circle me.