Childloss
by
Nathanael Smith

Life will forever overwhelm
Because time is the passage of pain
And we all take the blade
Between the eyes

Parents can't easily listen, because
There are so many things to do
Keep the kids fed and a roof
Over their heads

There's not enough time in a day
To help each of the hurting children
To hold each crying hand
And explain all

There's barely enough time to sit
And watch football and soap operas
Let alone properly raise kids
Just make them leave

You are as beautiful as a woman, yes
But you're crying inside a hard shell
Your heart is drowning in tears that
Refuse to flow

Why not sit and stare at the screen
Dulling pain with dull nothingness
Mind mushes, heart hurts, eyes cry
Anyway, who cares?

I do. No one else, perhaps, probably
I know how it feels, I'm pain-washed
So what if life is seventy years?
It feels so long