Ugly Shoes and Remembering

I did not write these poems but instead had them shared with my by two beautiful sets of parents who have lost children as well.  I thought them sadly appropriate.

THESE SHOES

I wear a pair of shoes
They are ugly shoes
Uncomfortable shoesI 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 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 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
They have made me who I amI will forever walk in the shoes of a woman who has lost a child
- Author Unknown


Remembering...
Go ahead and mention my Child,
The one that died you know.
Don't worry about hurting me further.
The depth of my pain doesn't show.
Don't worry about making me cry.
I'm already crying inside.
Help me to heal by releasing the tears that I try to hide.
I'm hurt when you just keep silent pretending he didn't exist.
I'd rather you mention my Child knowing that he has been missed.
You asked me how I was doing, I say "pretty good" or "fine"
but healing is something ongoing. I feel it will take a lifetime.
-Author Unknown