This morning
As we stood waiting for the bus
I held your little hand
And laughed at the teddy bear hat
You chose to wear
It was your favorite
Your room was filled with teddy bears
There was the special one
You cuddled with
As I kissed you goodnight
The first one you received
When you were newly born
From the daddy who loved you so
He learned to change your diaper
How to give you a bath
He wanted to be part of everything
And he always made me laugh
He gave you your fishing rod
With Snoopy on the handle
I took pictures at the lake
As with the fish you did battle
It ended up that he’d set the hook
And let you reel it in
You were so excited
And in the end we let it swim
So many thoughts swirl round me now
Five years was not enough
To know the person you would be
If you had the chance to grow up
But that chance was taken away
On a warm and sunny day
When a shooter came to school
With malevolence on his mind
In his hands he carried a weapon of death
That spread gunfire near and far
Rapidly, indiscriminately
His victims had no chance
Countless children lost
Beloved teachers to
Lives shattered forever after
Inextinguishable heartache
And all I can do is ask
“Why?”
I grieve each day
For what should have been
A happy life cut all to short
By a senseless act made all too easy
I listen each afternoon as the bus goes by
It’s the worst time of the day
I should be waiting at the stop
To walk you home and fix your snack
But all I can do is sit
As a wave of pain envelopes my heart
And takes me back to “this morning”
When all was well