Mat Bunting-Day

What do you get…

What do you get when your baby dies?
Condolences and platitudes that sound just like lies.
You cannot believe them, and neither would they
If they stopped for a moment to think what they say.

What do you get when your baby dies?
Memories that burn you and cut you like knives.
You long to remember with joy in your heart,
But remembering means its over and it should be the start.

What do you get when your baby dies?
An empty, bare crib where no baby cries.
Your home should be filled with new noises and sounds,
But its only lost hope you hear echo around.

What do you get when your baby dies?
Photos and keepsakes in place of their life.
You yearn for their warmth, but the things that you hold
Feel both fragile and precious, and so few, and so cold.

What do you get when your baby dies?
A lifetime to wonder and ask yourself why.
You want to believe that Life can't be so cruel,
But you know it's a game where there aren't any rules.

What do you get when your baby dies?
Savage, shameful feelings that crush your insides.
Anger and guilt, frustration and fear,
As you're silently screaming "Why am I here?"

What do you get when your baby dies?
Nothing you dreamed of, and no reasons why.
A future that's stolen, endless pain and despair,
The knowledge that what's broken is impossible to repair.