Swimming Lessons: Poem Two in the Morning Series

It has been years after the baby passed on and we have not spoken of it since that day.

Dearest baby Tyler,
there is a forceful silence in this
family; it is almost as if you
never existed.

As if your birth blood body was never
held by your mother or your little head
was never kissed by your father.

I never saw your face, but I imagine
that even after life walked out on you,
like a jealous girlfriend, even then you
were perfect, angelic.

I guess that’s because we’d never see
your terrible, teething, biting twos.
Or hear about how you failed the third grade
math test because you’d rather play video games
than study multiplication tables.

Your parents would never have to wait up
for you on prom night, worried about what
you were doing to that girl who wore her
foundation like a second skin.

I confess that I’ve taken this silence,
this willful ignorance as my chance to
slowly swim away from this family before
I drown in the dysfunction everyone is
bathing in.

Reviews

[darkessence]

The ending really seals it all together very nicely. after such an emotionally stagnant, aching picture of the life that could have been it seems to balance out when the silence is described. it happens too often, especially with the death of a child

[Legacy]

Kara A. Laughard,

Whew~

This is an amazing write, I am searching for the words to speak yet they all pale in comparison.

Maybe to start I can ask, was there a load taken off your heart after you wrote this? I feel a sense of relief as you brace yourself for vacating...

It is an odd dysfunction, what a family goes through after losing a child. In retrospect that child would rest peacefully knowing his family was bonding together in this trajedy.

Again, for the um-teenth time this week I use the word trajedy, (and not loosely, if I dare say) it is so true that trajedy is the foundation of all great writing. However, why must it drag us down to points of no turning back?

Your write was fluid and filled with painful acceptance of losing this child as well as losing your family over your mind. ~You greive~

It was a trajedy, now lets all move on before we all drown; before we move on we must talk about this - correct?

Granted you seem to be the mind of reason, as well you admit to this sucking you into its whirlwind.

Anyway, going on and on here, I should close by informing you this was beautiful.

Hope life starts working in your favor and people (your loved ones) heal real soon.

Have a great day,

Legacy

P.S. I think this would be a great submission into dark secrets or enlightenment contests from Poetic Infusion Society. I can not actually classify which one it would be better in.

P.S.S. I am working on reading your poem one in the mourning series.