by Ellen Guerrero
It began with a
Cough-
One by one
Caught in
Its web.
A pool of
Despair,
Transformed into
An ocean of
Grief.
Another year
Of childhood
Changed.
Another birthday
Lost
In the monotony .
No shrieks
Of laughter,
No games
Of tag,
No jumps
In a moon bounce.
I weep for
What my children
Do not know.
They remain
Blissfully unaware.
My heart aches,
Holding the burden
Of an unlived
Memory.
They will remember
Mommy and Daddy
Love me.
I will remember
The deafening
Silence of a
Popped balloon.
