unwanted absence

my mother was talking about the complications of my stepfather's return from poland back to his home with her in nyc. she mentioned how difficult this "unwanted absence" was.

sometimes my mother phrases things awkwardly because she is not a native english speaker. but at times those awkward phrases come out sounding a little profound.

i thought about how the absence of any particular thing may be deliberate or inadvertent in ones life. how that absence can feel either like a void or a space with which to breath, depending on ones intentions/outlook. sometimes i confuse one kind of absence for another.