Silent Departure
A poem
A poem
You slipped away
before we ever heard
your first cries,
a bud plucked
before it could bloom.
No fleeting glance
to memorize your face,
only dreams
of what could have been.
Your muted absence
echoes in empty halls,
aching arms with no child to hold,
a heart waiting for first kicks.
We never knew you,
yet grieve the loss,
a sweet peach stolen
before the first sweet bite.
You are our ghost,
both here and not.
We imagine your laughter,
whisper goodnight.
Perhaps this work of grief
is the true birth,
we cradle your memory,
tenderly learn
how to mother
the child not meant for this world.