One by one they go
leaving their legacy--
bad or good--
clinging to love or bitterness
or something in between,
leaving the rest of us
no choice
but to raise our arms
In surrender. 

We use the example
of the empty egg shell
left inside the nest;
we tell the story
of a bird learning
to wind a clock;
we fall asleep listening
to the owl renaming
all the stars in the sky.