Lingering on, in the presence of longing
When the ache screams in the silence whether of days or years
It’s an unheard cry that reverberates in heart and mind
Haunted by our joys that turn to tears

Whether of loss or the grief of the estranged
A garden of tombstones commemorated
Former things and faith for homecomings
The life we knew whether dead or still alive
Whether prodigal or heavenly celebrated
Mutual bonds enfold our hearts in the anxieties of the separated
How do we find perspective for hopes in the face of sorrow
Our spirits downcast and yearning to be elevated

Oh joys and suffering of this motherhood, when feeling overlooked, know that you’re in Gods care
Even as I recall my own grievances I lift you up in prayer

Whether babies, or moms, as angels, when we think of those gone on at any age
We write the story of our lives but still feel like they are missing on every page

Finding congruence in the parallels of loss
When even your children, still alive, reject you, and live as lifeless without reverence for your cross

Prayers of comfort in the midst of joys coinciding in the pews of heartache
When we’re congregants of light amid the vain boast of the underlying dark
When love is kindling, passion is fire, children are the spark

Our thoughts like scattered embers of ash and fleeting glow
One thinks of a miscarriage, another of her son
While I yearn for my mother and others can relate

We all bear our own scars that others may not know
When love is worth the pain for all the ways we are undone
With longs that no form of endearment or console can sate

Nevertheless I speak these words for you
When you are a mother of sadness and despair is your seed
When tears turn to incense prayers and no one sees the way that you bleed

Sometimes there’s no easy answer but just to sit with you to say I’m here whether or not I comprehend
The gravity of all it is you’re going through and the anguish that doesn’t seem to end…