Please Be Gentle

Someone shared this poem with me tonight.  It articulates the nuances of a mother's grief for her baby.


Please Be Gentle

Please be gentle with me for I am grieving...
the sea I swim in is a lonely one
and the shore seems miles away...

Waves of despair numb my soul
as I struggle through each day...
My heart is heavy with sorrow...

I want to shout and scream and repeatedly ask "WHY"...
At times my grief overwhelms me and I weep bitterly..

So great is my loss...

Please don't turn away from me
or tell me to move on with my life...
I must embrace my pain before I can heal...

Companion me through my tears...
sit with me in loving silence...
honour me where I am on this journey...

Don't forget me or my baby..
Listen patiently to my story...
I may need to tell it over and over again...
It's how I begin to grasp the enormity of my loss...

Nurture me though the weeks and months ahead...
Forgive me when I am distant or inconsolable...
A Small flame still burns inside my heart...

Memories trigger both laughter and tears...
There is no right or wrong way to grieve...

We each must find our own paths...
but... please just walk beside me.

-- by Jill Engler