I wander through the garden of stone
Searching for your marker.
I spy your name and feel the dread in my heart.

Sinking to my knees
I kneel before the shrine.
My fingers trace the words
That were etched so many years before.
If I close my eyes and concentrate
Could I feel your touch?
No, only the cold of granite.

I lay two white roses on your memorial.
Two…for the children you left behind.
White…for the innocence that was shattered.

The sun shines but I don't see it.
Its warmth can't touch the heart
That was frozen in time,
on the day you died.

I curl up into a ball
Wishing you could cradle me.
Heartbreaking sobs rip from my soul,
Mournful cries fill the cemetery.

I bury my head in my arms,
Wailing against the injustice
Of having you taken from me.

My fists pound the earth beneath me
Screams of rage over
Memories that would never be.

Eighteen years of stored anger
Released in a torrent of emotion.
No need to be strong now,
There's no one to see me weep.

My grief overcomes me
I feel like I've spent my lifetime grieving.
I lay on your grave
Crying for you, mommy.

~~ by Tara Simms