A Grieving Child

The child who has lost a grandparent Wants to spend all of her time with the surviving ones. Watching them sleep, checking their breathing. Fearful of the next step. The child who has lost a parent Does not want to waste time She is afraid the other parent will disappear If she comes to school; so she clings and cries. The child who has lost a sibling Now knows children are destructible, and killable. He feels guilty at recess, choosing not to play Because his brother no longer can. The child who survives death Of a loved one Often loses Herself or Himself In Grief