Its been done before, but thought I'd start up a new thread for those who've not seen the old.

Just Those Few Weeks
written by: Susan Erling Martinez

For those few weeks
I had you to myself.
And that seems too short a time
To be changed so profoundly.

In those few weeks-
I came to know you…
And to love you.
You came to trust me with your life.
Oh, what a life I had planned for you!

Just those few weeks-
When I lost you,
I lost a lifetime of hopes,
Plans, dreams, and aspirations…
A slice of my future simply vanished overnight.

Just those few weeks-
It wasn’t enough time to convince others
How special and important you were.
How odd, a truly unique person has recently died
And no one is mourning the passing.

Just a mere few weeks-
And no “normal” person would cry all night
Over a tiny, unfinished baby,
Or get depressed and withdraw day after endless day.
No one would, so why am I?

You were just those few weeks my little one
You darted in and out of my life too quickly.
But it seems that’s all the time you needed
To make my life so much richer
And give me a small glimpse of eternity.

A Mother's Prayer
In this time of loss I call upon my spirit within to guide me to my strength so that I may find peace and completion.
I will use this strength to demand of myself and others my need to grieve completely, for this will be my first step to healing.
During my time of grief I will seek guidance not only from my inner spirit but from loving persons who may offer wisdom and comfort.
I need to understand that the soul as well as the physical body needs healing and to pay attention to this. I will learn to accept that the soul may never heal completely.
I will learn to live not in fear and once again see beauty in my world and purpose in my existence.
In spite of my new knowledge that things happen that cannot be controlled, I must call upon the places within me that tell me I do have control over much of my life and use this control to aid my healing.
Let me recognize the gift in my ability to conceive and carry life however briefly.
Let me take joy in my ability to love so deeply and desire to nurture a soul unbeknownst to me.
Let me find healing in the belief that this soul knew my love for it and that that love helped it to pass to another place.
Let me honor this short life not only with my love but in finding meaning in its existence.
Let me recognize this meaning in not only my ability to survive, but in my fullest appreciation of all the moments motherhood will bring me, along with my deeper compassion and sisterhood to other women who've experienced loss.
Let a part of this soul be reflected in the spirit of my future children, born or adopted, so that I may know it through them.
I will listen to and trust the place in my deepest heart that tells me I will once again be reunited with this soul and will fulfill the need to hold it in my arms.
I will help myself to feel comfort in the knowledge that there is a star in heaven that belongs to me.

Tiny Footprints on a Mother's Heart

When a baby arrives,
be it for a day, a month, a year or more,
or perhaps only a sweet flickering moment-
the fragile spark of a tender soul
the secret swell of a new pregnancy
the goldfish flutter known to only you-
you are unmistakeningly changed...
the tiny footprints left behind on your heart
bespeak your name as Mother.

An Angel's kiss

We go through life so often
Not stopping to enjoy the day,
And we take each one for granted
As we travel on our way.

We never stop to measure
Anything we just might miss,
But if the wind should blow by softly
You'll feel an Angel's Kiss

A kiss that is sent from Heaven
A kiss from up above,
A kiss that is very special
From someone that you love.

For in your pain and sorrow
An Angel's kiss will help you through,
This kiss is very private
For it is meant for only you.

So when your hearts are heavy
and filled with tears and pain,
and no one can console you
Remember once again...

About the ones you grieve for
Because you sadly miss
And the gentle breeze You took for granted
Was just..."An Angel's Kiss"

Fingerprints

Your fingerprints are on my heart.
Even though you never held my hand
you touched me.
Even though I never heard you speak
you taught me.
You taught me about love.
You taught me about caring.
You taught me about courage.
You taught me about faith.
You taught me about happiness.
You taught me about sorrow.
You brought me closer to myself.
In the time I cared for you,
how my life changed.
Never to be the same again.
Because of you
I know I will somehow be stronger.
Because of you
I know I will be more prepared for life.
All this from tiny fingerprints
that touched my heart.
Because of this
You will live forever in my soul
never to be forgotten.
I will always love you.
You are my child.
Born Still But Still Born

Tears and Cheers

We will never stop loving our children. A thoughtful, gentle man named William Penn once wrote, "Those who love beyond the world cannot be separated by it. Death cannot kill that which does not die." We loved our children yesterday, we love them today, and we will love them tomorrow. There is neither force nor foe that can ever remove the love we have for our children. They live within us and beyond this world, now and forever. This is not the way we wanted our lives or their lives to be because our children belong, not to the ages, but to us. In the end, sadly, they are not ours to keep. They will always be ours to remember, to honour, and to love.

We hurt so much because we love so much. It is our curse to live with the reality of deaths details. It is our Blessing to be given a glimpse of the infinite possibilities of perpetual Love. It is not a fair trade. Neither is this a bargain we sought to make. The Children that died too soon have broken our hearts while giving us the great gift of enlightenment. Where do we exchange that unwanted present for one minute with them when no refund line exists. We reach out to strangers, to family or friends to help us remember, to help us hope all is not lost. It helps. It is not a cure. This pitiful plight is not a wound that time heals.

Death cannot kill that which does not die. Our Children would no more leave us than we would stop loving them. Those that Love beyond the world cannot be separated by it. No one, no thing, not now, not ever can take away our love for our children. Our love defies death and taunts time while embracing and displaying its eternal nature. Sometimes Love travels an earthly path filled with tears and cheers inspired by the life of a child measured in moments or years. Our children live forever in the glorious, unending infinite light of our love, as we in theirs. That is our blessing. That is their gift and maybe they are waiting to see if we like it. Perhaps a cheer joined to the tear is what they need to hear.

Written by A.A. Milne

"Pooh!" called out Christopher Robin
"Yes"? said Pooh
"When I'm - when - Pooh!"
"Yes Christopher Robin?"
"I'm not going to do nothing any more"
"Never again?"
Well, not so much, they dont let you"
Pooh waited for him to go on, but he was silent again
"Yes Christopher Robin?" said Pooh helpfully
"Pooh when I'm - You know - When I'm not doing nothing, will you come up here sometimes?"
"Just Me?"
"Yes Pooh"
"Will you be here too?"
"Yes Pooh I will be really. I Promise I will be Pooh."
"Thats Good" said Pooh
"Pooh Promise you wont forget about me, ever. Not even when I'm a hundred"
Pooh thought for a little
"How old shall I be then!"
"Ninety Nine"
Pooh Nodded
"I promise" he said
Still with his eyes on the world Christopher Robin put out a hand and felt for Pooh's paw
"Pooh said Christopher Robin earnestly "if I - if I'm not quite - he stopped and tryed again - "Pooh, whatever happens, you will understand won't you?"
"Understand What?"
"Oh nothing" he laughed and jumped to his feet "Come on"
"Where?" said Pooh
"Anywhere" said Christopher Robin

My Dad is a Survivor
Kaye Des'Ormeaux
October 16, 1998
Dedicated to any man who
has lost his child

My dad is a survivor too...
which is no surprise to me.
He's always been like a lighthouse
that helps you cross a stormy sea.

But, I walk with my dad each day
to lift him when he's down.
I wipe the tears he hides from others.
He cries when no one's around.

I watch him sit up late at night,
with my picture in his hand.
He cries as he tries to grieve alone,
and wishes he could understand.

My dad is like a tower of strength.
He's the greatest of them all!
But there's times when he needs to cry...
Please be there when he falls.

Hold his hand or pat his shoulder...
and tell him it's okay.
Be his strength when he's sad,
Help him mourn in his own way.

Now, as I watch over my precious dad
from the Heaven's up above...
I'm so proud that he's a survivor...
And, I can still feel his love!

This one is really special to me...

A DIFFERENT CHILD

People notice
There's a special glow around you.
You grow
Surrounded by love,
Never doubting you are wanted;
Only look at the pride and joy
In your mother and father's eyes.

And if sometimes
Between the smiles
There's a trace of tears,
One day
You'll understand.
You'll understand
There was once another child
A different child
Who was in their hopes and dreams.
That child will never outgrow the baby clothes
That child will never keep them up at night
In fact, that child will never be any trouble at all.
Except sometimes, in a silent moment,
When mother and father miss so much
That different child.
May hope and love wrap you warmly
And may you learn the lesson forever
How infinitely precious
How infinitely fragile
Is this life on earth.
One day, as a young man or woman
You may see another mother's tears
Another father's silent grief
Then you, and you alone
Will understand
And offer the greatest comfort.
When all hope seems lost,
You will tell them
With great compassion,
"I know how you feel.
I'm only here
Because my mother tried again."

"A Pair of Shoes"

I am wearing a pair of shoes.
They are ugly shoes.
Uncomfortable shoes.
I hate my shoes.
Each day I wear them, and each day I wish I had another pair.
Some days my shoes hurt so bad that I do not think I can take another step.
Yet, I continue to wear them.
I get funny looks wearing these shoes.
They are looks of sympathy.
I can tell in others eyes that they are glad they are my shoes and not theirs.
They never talk about my shoes.
To learn how awful my shoes are might make them uncomfortable.
To truly understand these shoes you must walk in them.
But, once you put them on, you can never take them off.
I now realize that I am not the only one who wears these shoes.
There are many pairs in this world.
Some women are like me and ache daily as they try and walk in them.
Some have learned how to walk in them so they don't hurt quite as much.
Some have worn the shoes so long that days will go by before they think about how much they hurt.
No woman deserves to wear these shoes.
Yet, because of these shoes I am a stronger woman.
These shoes have given me the strength to face anything.
They have made me who I am.
I will forever walk in the shoes of a woman who has lost a child.

Author unknown

To the Child in my Heart

O precious, tiny, sweet little one
You will always be to me
So perfect, pure, and innocent
Just as you were meant to be.

We dreamed of you and of your life
And all that it would be
We waited and longed for you to come
And join our family.

We never had the chance to play,
To laugh, to rock, to wiggle.
We long to hold you, touch you now
And listen to you giggle.

I'll always be your mother.
He'll always be your dad.
You will always be our child,
The child that we had.

But now you're gone...but yet you're here.
We'll sense you everywhere.
You are our sorrow and our joy.
There's love in every tear.

Just know our love goes deep and strong.
We'll forget you never-
The child we had, but never had,
And yet we'll have forever.

Crayoned colored wings,
spread across the skies,
Rainbows in space, adrift,
See, she floats and flies,
Winging to some unknown spot,
She escapes what we've been taught.

Beauty, flight and freedom be,
her future, her reality.

She's not grounded by two feet
firmly planted on Earth bound peat.

Thanks CM. When my laptop is fixed (am on a work one) and I have all my files, I will post some more.

The one that is special to you - I can see why, I had a wee tear reading it. So true. And it explains why I had a wee tear at DS's 1st birthday too.

Thanks Nimbus... this bit in another poem always makes me cry

Just know our love goes deep and strong.
We'll forget you never-
The child we had, but never had,
And yet we'll have forever.

Country mum
These are beautiful, you've left me crying and speechless.
Each time I read, I feel a litle more at peace...
Thank you xo

Ahhh, and breathe! They are absolutely beautiful Country Mum, thank you so much.

They are wonderful.

Thank you for posting those beautiful poems Country Mum. As soon as I read the first one I was in tears for them all!

I haven't posted for quite a while as I haven't felt emotionally strong enough, but I have been lurking around reading everyone else's stories, and these beautiful words finally prompted me to write again.

Take care everyone.

In dreams we touch
There are no boundaries
No time limits
Unspoken areas are unknown
Although we both know your angel wings are there
They are folded tightly away, just out of sight

We laugh
We play
In this wonderous world
Where no tears fall
Sadness and loneliness do not belong here

For just one moment, you are real and you are here
We can touch
I hold you close
I feel you living
I smell the earth on your skin
I trace the lines on your hand softly with a feather that has floated into our moment

Before we are fully aware
The sun starts to grow heavy in the sky
Shadows are dancing around our feet
I realise with a somber heart, that it is time to separate
Although holding tightly, your grip is slipping
You are drifting away

I call to you, I try to run
It is then I notice your wings unfurling
Some feathers fall lightly at your feet
Sounds of another world surround me
Our moment in time is finishing

I reach out once more
But you are far away
A tear slips silently down my cheek
I fight the urge to wake
I cannot lose you again

I feel happy yet so alone
Until I remember
I will see you again
We shall dance and roll giggling down hills
Because I will be with you
My perfect angel
In our delicious dreams of touch

That is beautiful weeangel. I dont want to write too much and spoil the moment of that poem, just had to say thank you for posting and sharing it, it is lovely.