Drone Warfare
Bring an end to winter. To these lethal strikes.
Drones and bombing foggy days over Kyiv.
The bombs are still being heard around the clock,
Non-stop. Shadow on the radar.
Haunting symbols, leaving lingering trauma
and invisible wounds.
So (Sow) maty (Mother) zhyto (Rey).
Their weeping mothers.
“I’m sorry for your loss”.
For your loss, it has come at a devastating cost.
There is still a blue road. Fire won't destroy everything.
The drowned remain ours, to be treated as
collateral damage or unspoken beyond a humanitarian
crisis; slowly moving toward the blur.
Trying to articulate silence.
While battlefields are increasingly being used by
Drones, known as gray zones.
Watching as this subnormal unfolds.
To think while walking among the shambles
Those cemetery walls.
Satellite breaching the sacred with pierced intent.
There will be a resurgence from a sobering reality.
What endurance can teach us all.
Not falling victim to a dictator's aggression defies.
As a phoenix rises, we reclaim the nation.
When Words Don’t Come Easy”
Today is the kind of day when words don’t come easily. The bouquet of flowers arrives at the house, and I find myself grappling with acceptance. Is she truly gone? Am I prepared to make arrangements, to return there? Can I bear the pain, am I ready?
The calls await—those conversations where condolences are offered, where the words “I’m sorry for your loss” hang in the air. Today, words feel elusive, like butterflies slipping through my fingers.
Preparing for death is a daunting task. Grief wears a mask, and I suppress my emotional pain. I tell myself to remain logical, to cling to biblical thinking. But it rushes over me, relentless.
My prayer for the day echoes Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” And I hold onto the truth that God is our refuge, our strength—an ever-present help in trouble.
May these words bring solace and strength during this difficult time. ??
For Melissa:
This poem is a message from your garden. I'm so sorry for your loss. May you experience a miracle to restore the beauty of nature and hope in your garden. Blessings, love and light.
Gaia is crying
(My human is crying too)
By Michelle Morris
27/04/2023
They cut down the gardens
Gaia gasped at the destruction
The Universe felt the loss
Deliberate and calculated harm
My human came home to chaos
She is bereft and heartbroken
Silent and alone
The bees and butterflies have gone
Gaia is crying
My human is crying too
Why do people embrace the darkness
And destroy beauty and hope and truth
Foliage rare and irreplaceable
Protected and needed for life
Gone for good this time
By irresponsible and careless acts
They cut down those gardens
Then poisoned the remaining roots
The garden is no more, my human
And Gaia is filled with hurt
Oh, Gaia is crying
My human is crying too
May there be a miracle healing
Of this garden and our planet's heart
© Michelle Morris, 2023
The loss of a child, can be quite hard, to bare,
it’s just not the natural order and it will never seem fair.
Our children are everything, we give them our all.
They get every hug and kiss, and we pick them up when they fall.
I remember a little boy who I have not seen, in quite a while.
His laugh was infectious and I can still see his smile.
He is now a grown man, but that is not what I see.
I just see that little boy, laughing and smiling back at me.
He was a part of something special, a family that I love and adore.
They helped mend my broken heart, and never shut their door.
Weekends at the lake and holidays spent in their home,
in my hour of need, they made sure that I was never alone.
No greater love have I seen, in all my days,
than that of this family, with their kind and generous ways.
It’s been twenty-five years since this young boy was born,
I am sorry for your loss, and now with you I will mourn.
“I am fine,” I say.
3 words,
1 lie.
“Do not worry.”
3 words,
1 lie.
“I have eaten.”
3 words,
1 lie.
“I’ll live.”
3 words,
1 lie.
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
6 words,
1 li[e]fe gone.
Daddy's girl
Sinks
To Davy Jones' locker
Of grief.
Dad's earth-shattering goodbye,
So sudden, cruel.
Suicide, no note.
She's too numb
To feel the tsunami
Of looming pain.
In utter disbelief.
Her best friend
Mouths " I'm sorry for your loss"
She mutters
A barely audible "Thank you"
With downcast eyes.
Still numb, in denial.
Pain in her heart unmistakably visible
On face full of tears.
Nothing seems to make sense.
She sits up from bed
Gazing longingly
Into a tenebrious abyss,
Going through a litany of regrets
And missed warning signs.
A sea of confusion
Endlessly churning
In her mind, filled...
With one word question,
"WHY"?
Date written: 12/28/2021
Dear Connie
We’re sorry for your loss and broken heart
There are no words to soften such a blow
This life can be hard and tear us apart
We are here for you, I thought you should know
You have our prayers and our thoughts as well
We will share with you, your burden and pains
We now mourn with you as our tears will tell
His memory shines even when it rains
Each night before bed, keep one thing in mind
Memories will live with every breath
Keep them in your heart and easy to find
He will be remembered long after death
May your heart find peace from the Lord above
We are the poets who send you our love
This is a day when families come together and grow but also lose one of their own
And I wish one of you could have been here to make it on your own
I will see you one day and I miss you will no longer be such a sad song
More angels are surrounding me as I get older
I won’t get to see you grow any older on earth but at least you’re in a better place than earth
Seeds are planted for the flowers to grow into something beautiful
But sometimes the petals will separate and fall
Learning to have an appreciation for the process of it all
Life is beautiful and death is soulful, because the soul stays after the body leaves
We still feel you sometimes, hope you’re proud of us
Learning how to move forward without you is so hard, but comforting knowing how much you meant to others
p.s. rest in heavenly peace…
The death of a loved one, can be quite a shock.
It will shake your foundation, and make your faith rock.
The first of many, your pretty eyes will see.
You are not alone, nor will you ever be.
You have your family, lean on them when you need.
They are hurting as well, so watch them please.
Your friends are here, you will not fall.
You are loved by many, just reach out and call.
I know you're hurting I know you're scared.
Your grandma will need you, your strength, do share.
Your older friends, we are here for you.
We understand loss, and we love you too.
Your heart now breaks, but it will also mend.
I'm sorry for your loss, my dear sweet friend.
Today I will mourn, my eyes will bleed.
I'll be here for you, if you should ever need.
One of our young friends lost her grandfather last night. This is her first real loss. I wrote this for you Miranda. I'm sorry for your loss.
Come rain or shine
The children of Penny Lane
Gather to play and while away
At Lady Madonna
Out polishing her front doorstep
Day by day
On her run down council tenement terrace house
She is so house proud
But expectant visitors never come
Nothing alive has crossed over
Since that letter was delivered
Notification her Husband and Son
Where alas no more
Casualties of war
Merely your country owes you a debt of gratitude sincerely sorry for your loss
With no body to repatriate nothing
to put in a coffin or bury she couldn't even
plan or mourn at their funeral
Eleanor Rigby
Where do they all the lonely people
Come from and go
God only knows the time and place
“I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“She was a lovely person, inside and out!”
With “ . . . so sorry” . . . “ . . . so sorry” still sing-songing in my mind,
I heard, “She’s in a better place, Dear!”
I cringed at this one while hugging the well-meaning,
sweet friend and fighting the urge to scream,
“She should be at the movies with her friends!”
My legs had no bones;
God must have been holding me up.
Oh, God, You could have simply refused to let her come to You!
Then you wouldn’t have to be my legs.
The piano music and singing were almost indescribably beautiful,
the parts I heard.
Our Pastor said all the right things,
avoiding the common platitudes.
Of course, he didn’t disclose why her young heart failed.
Love of family and friends was not enough,
at that time, to comfort me.
**************************
She was hooked—from the first time.
Rehab failed repeatedly.
My fervent prayers weren’t enough.
My love, which I thought was SO powerful, wasn’t enough.
Date: September 9, 2019
Contest Title: Sometimes Love Is Not Enough
Sponsor: Silent One
So sorry for your loss
How old was he ?
To Young to Die
Not Old enough to Die
Gone stolen by time
Your daughter has gone missing
Can I see a photo?
Hmm, well there is nothing we can do
Wait 24 hours, probably she is with friends
Maybe she is getting food
Your daughter is 16 you say?
Well ma’me, we get lots of cases where 16 year old go missing
And in 2 hours, they come home to their family
Kids her age tend to wonder off
Go home don’t worry
24 hours have passed and she still hasn’t appeared?
Well, we will notify officers to be on a lookout
Don’t worry
She probably just stayed over at a friends place
We will notify you if she is found
She still hasn’t come home after a week?
We will issue a missing persons case and look for her
Yes, an amber alert will be issued
But there is nothing we can do with the little information that has been given to us
Don’t worry, relax, we will look for her
Hello, ma’me, I have an update on your daughter’s case
She has… has umm, she has been found.
Police found her, more to say, her body, at the bottom of a lake
With the descriptions given, we have identified her as your daughter
I am sorry that you have to go through this but there was little that we could do to find her
I’m sorry for your loss
Forgive me,
I was to busy chasing after my dreams
To preoccupied with my own circumstances
To eager to get to the top
To determine to chase the dollar
To out of touch with those I love
To blind to of notice
To proud to of ask
To ashamed to be honest
To disloyal to you
Forgive me,
I should of been at your side
I should of held your hand
I should of wiped your tears and comforted your soul
I should of whispered, I cared
I should of carried your burden
I should of shared your pain and be the one to carry you through
This moment of crisis and heavy rain
Forgive me, I am sorry that I am late
I am sorry that you are in so much pain
I feel as though my absence is to blame
Forgive me, I promise, I will stay at your side
I will listen to your burdens
I will be your shield
I will ask 'YAH' to heal all your pain and lost
That time has chosen to steal.
The potluck is right around the corner of my room, so smells are wafting in already.
Luscious wonderful terrific delicious smells – pumpkin, cinnamon, chocolate, mayonnaise.
You cannot smell mayonnaise? My heart goes out to you. I am sorry for your loss,
Someone just took the lid off the baked beans again. I do not dare try for those, knowing
How low my rear is to the ground, spending my day walking past little low children who
Do not deserve to receive the memory of me enjoying a big sweet tub of baked beans.
I was hospitalized with a spastic colon, and urged to not eat any of my favorite foods any more.
My favorite foods are jalapeno peppers, chili, spaghetti, fried chicken, and more jalapeno peppers.
Matter of fact, I could eat jalapeno peppers on my pumpkin pie, and not miss the whipped cream.
A connoisseur of all the foods I should not eat, but I can now smell, I decide to take a little walk.
Those who see me think I am doing something important. I am. I am saving myself from me.
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