for Shepherd, Mason & Alexander
I dreamt of red, beating wings, vibrant
cherry-red petals, the orange-red fire
of sunset, a vivid red-gold jersey
on a green field. These visions accompanied
by: birdsong, rain, wind, laughter, cheering.
After waking, Remembering:
three boys, three warriors,
three friends, three angels.
The threads of dream and memory gathering us,
stitching us together, Remembering: The wings
of a cardinal, the petals of poppy flowers,
the cotton of a football hoodie. Remembering:
The way each boy smiled, listened, spoke, laughed.
The way their mothers held them. The way their mothers
held us. A circle of reds, ribbons streaming bright
and long, tears in equal pools of grief and joy.
Remembering: how we raced toy cars, painted
animal sculptures, played cards and prayed
with them, dined and sang songs with them,
held hands with them. Remembering:
how we passed them on walks through hospital halls
and housing greenspaces, sat with them in waiting areas,
shared space and time and bread, built birdhouses and
painted rainbows, pockets of light breaking through sorrow.
Remembering: How filled with smiles and tears, terrible grief
and tremulous hope we were. How we spoke love and care
to each other, embraced each other. Gathered
bright ribbons, twirled them until we were bound
together, strong as the rising fight within us, red
with the pulse of our children’s hearts, raw
with our cries for breath, for peace, for life — for love
to surround and keep us, for courage to fill and carry us.
Feeling: The cardinal’s swift wings, the poppy’s
sweet petals, the hoodie’s soft fire.
How each boy, each warrior, each angel
enfolds us in warmth, points our compass
upwards, to something that strengthens
and supports us, their red ribbons soaring
skyward, trails of smiles and footprints of laughter
streaking endless love across the wide blue.
Copyright @Stacie Eirich July 5, 2024
Thank you for reading, and for stopping by my blog today. Please consider making a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in support of children and families fighting pediatric cancer, and to help fund research for cures. Every dollar matters and positively impacts the lives of families like ours and our friends.
Stacie
*Post Script* My child is a patient at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. If you’d like to follow our journey to a cure, visit: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/hopeforsadie
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