To Laurie

A poem by Cathi exploring the heavy grief of an untimely birth.



The silence of my loss
Hangs heavy across my heart,
A quiet veil punctured now and again
by the stuttered static of ordinary life.

Selfish grief, this,
For a body returning to fallow,
For an anticipation cut short.
I know you're well, my Laurie,
My breath of fresh air, breeze on my face.

These words form and swell in my heart
in moments of calm between whitewater grief,
till they break the surface, released onward
As I slowly release myself
to a different life.

Cathi Yarrow