I saw yellow roses scattered at the beach and wrote a poem about childhood grief

We watched you

We watched your hair fixed to pigtails

We watched your shoes laced at the sidelines

We watched you with L plates debating the front seat

We watched you at graduation ,a family complete.

We watched you guided into business

We watched you walk the aisle .

We watched you carry boxes to your new door

We watched as they aged and or hearts were sore

We watched all you had and felt without

We watched but never voiced

We don’t want what you had

We want what we didn’t have.

A “morning son”,

A reminder of the full moon

A text to say they’d landed

A postcard for the fridge

A hand with the grandkids

The small things made big

This isn’t meant to belittle or to take away your joy]

Its the story of bing without as a little girl or a little boy