Uncelebrated Birthdays
How are birthdays recognized
for someone taken too soon?
What is normally a time
of laughter, family, and gifts
is now replaced by
quiet remembrance, sorrow,
and solitude, year-upon-year.
In the beginning, we gathered
to remember…to celebrate.
Balloons flew quietly from our hands
captured by the Spring wind
pulling them closer and closer
to that heavenly place
that seemed to open up
just long enough to allow them in.
“I hope she catches my balloon,”
the little ones would say
and we’d hold one another,
eyes misty from the emptiness,
sharing an awkward smile
as the “party” ended.
Decades have passed and
the floating colors in the sky
are now replaced by somber visits
to a small grave
lost among thousands,
impersonal texts,
and deafening silence
from those who forgot.
On this day, however,
I pause, watching my balloon
disappear into brilliant light
almost sensing your presence
embracing me with a warm smile.
Dedicated to all who have lost a child…
© K.S. Taylor-Barnes
K.S. Taylor-Barnes (Kathy) is a native Virginian, retired high school English teacher, mother, and grandmother. She loves to travel the world with her husband who is also a poet where she often finds inspiration for her work. While at home, she stays active as a member of the Local Gems poetry group and she is currently working on her first poetry manuscript.
The Loch Raven Review 