Some of the following poems and words were included in our first 'Wave of Light' service, held in October 2007.

 

If you have any poems or other words which you'd like to share on this page, please contact us 

 

Empty Arms

Empty arms long to hold you,
Silent tears fall for you,
We grieve for you and we miss you,
You touched our lives for the briefest of moments,
Yet you will stay with us forever.

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We cannot judge a biography by its length, by the number of pages in it;

we must judge by the richness of the contents ….

sometimes the ‘unfinisheds’ are amongst the most beautiful of symphonies.

 (Victor Frankl)

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What we really want to say

Hello, Old Friend,
Oh, yes, you know
I lost my child a while ago.
No, no please
Don’t look away
And change the subject
It’s ok.
You see, at first I couldn’t feel,
It took so long, but now it’s real.
I hurt so much inside you see
I need to talk,
Come sit with me?
You see, I was numb for so very long,
And people said, “My, she is so strong.”
They did not know I couldn’t feel,
My broken heart made all unreal.
But then one day, as I awoke
I clutched my chest, began to choke,
Such a scream, such a wail,
Broke from me…
My child! My child!
The horror of reality.
But everyone has moved on, you see,
everyone except for me.
Now, when I need friends most of all,
Between us there now stands a wall.
My pain is more than they can bear,
When I mention my child,
I see their blank stare.
“But I thought you were over it,”
Their eyes seem to say,
No, no, I can’t listen to this, not today.
So I smile and pretend, and say, “Oh, I’m ok”.
But inside I am crying, as I turn away.
And so my old friend, I shall paint on a smile,
As I have from the start,
You never knowing all the while,
All I’ve just said to you in my heart.

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How Deep is the Ocean?
by Irving Berlin

How can I tell you what is in my heart?
How can I measure each and every part?
How can I tell you how much I love you?
How can I measure just how much I do?
How much do I love you?
I'll tell you no lie
How deep is the ocean?
How high is the sky?
How many times a day do I think of you?
How many roses are sprinkled with dew?
How far would I travel
To be where you are?
How far is the journey
From here to a star?
And ever since I lost you
How much do I cry?
How deep is the ocean?
How high is the sky?

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The cord

We are connected, My child and I,
by an invisible cord, not seen by the eye.
It's not like the cord that connects us 'til birth
This cord can't be seen by any on Earth.
This cord does its work right from the start.
It binds us together, attatched to my heart.
I know that it's there, though no one can see,
The invisible cord from my child to me.
The strength of this cord is hard to describe.
It can't be destroyed, it can't be denied.
It's stronger than any cord man could create,
It withstands the test, can hold any weight.
And though you are gone,
Though you are not here with me,
The cord is still there, but no one can see.
It pulls at my heart, I am bruised...I am sore,
But this cord is my lifeline, as never before.
I am thankful that we are connected this way,
A mother and child--Death can't take it away!

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Would you walk in my shoes

I am wearing a pair of shoes.
They are ugly shoes,
Uncomfortable shoes,
I hate my shoes.
Each day I wear them, and each day I wish I had another pair.
Some days my shoes hurt so bad that i do not think i can take another step.
Yet, I continue to wear them.
I get funny looks wearing these shoes.
They are looks of sympathy.
I can tell in other's eyes that they are glad they are my shoes and not theirs.
They never talk about my shoes.
To learn how awful my shoes are might make them uncomfortable.
To truly understand these shoes you must walk in them.
But, once you put them on, you can never take them off.
I now realise that I am not the only one who wears these shoes.
There are many pairs in this world.
Some people are like me and ache daily as they try to walk in them.
Some have learned how to walk in them so that they don't hurt quite so much.
Some have worn the shoes so long that days will go by before they think about how much they hurt.
No-one deserves to wear these shoes.
Yet, because of these shoes I am a stronger person - apparently.
These shoes have given me the strength to face anything.
They have made me who I am.
I will forever walk in the shoes of a parent who has lost a child.

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Dear Parents...

Dear Parents ...
I did not die young.
I lived my span of life,
Within your body
And within your love.
There are many
Who have lived long lives
And who have not been loved as me.
If you would honour me
Then speak my name
And number me among your family.
If you would honour me
Then strive to live in love
For in that love, I live.

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For Fathers

It must be very difficult
To be a man in grief,
Since "men don't cry" and "men are strong"
No tears can bring relief.

It must be very difficult
To stand up to the test
And field calls, and visitors
So she can get some rest.

They always ask if she's all right
And what she's going through,
But seldom take his hand and ask,
"My friend, but how are you?"

He hears her crying in the night
And thinks his heart will break.
He dries her tears and comforts her,
But "stays strong" for her sake.

It must be very difficult
To start each day anew
And try to be so very brave--
He lost his baby too.

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Till You Died

I never felt old
Till you died
I never lost hope
Till you died
I never felt cursed
Till you died
I never needed to be loved so desperately
Till you died.

I never felt despair
Till you died
I never felt all my dreams die
Till you died
I never felt my confidence falter and shake
Till you died
I never felt like nothing mattered anymore
Till you died.

I never felt lost within myself
Like no one would ever, ever understand
Where I had been
Deep inside my soul
A journey of horror and pain
Till you died
I never mistrusted my own feelings
Till you died.

I never wondered what I was doing with my life
Till you died
I never dreaded the nights
Till you died
I never felt so lonely
Till you died
And I never cried out to anyone who would listen
Till you died.

Yet...
I never felt so alive
Till you died
I never felt the sun on my back,
The wind in my hair,
The warm embrace of someone who loves me with such intensity
Till you died.

I never cherished the people I love so much
Till you died
I never felt such compassion for others
Till you died
I never felt my heart ache
In such a deep way for the pain of strangers
Till you died.

No, I think I never really
Lived at all
Till you died.

But still
I wish
You had lived.

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Precious, tiny, sweet little one,
You will always be to me,
So perfect, pure and innocent,
Just as you were meant to be.

We dreamed of you and your life,
And all that it would be.
We waited and longed for you to come,
And join our family.

We never had the chance to play,
To laugh, to rock, to wiggle,
We long to hold you, touch you now,
And listen to your giggle.

I'll always be your mother,
He'll always be you dad.
You will always be our child,
The child that we had.

But now you're gone....but yet you're here,
We'll sense you everywhere.
You are our sorrow and our joy,
There's love in every tear.

Just know our love goes deep and strong,
We'll forget you never ~
The child we had but never had,
And yet will have forever.

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Do not stand at my grave and weep

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.