by Lesléa Newman (Massachusetts)
(October 7, 2023)
Never again the sound of their laughter,
Never again the sound of their cry.
Never again the sight of their smiles,
Never again the sight of their eyes.
Their tiny starfish hands—gone.
The small stones of their toes—gone.
Never again their shrieks of terror,
Never again their shrieks of joy.
Never again to play peek-a-boo,
Never again to say, I see you.
Their milk-white baby teeth—gone.
Their desert-smooth dimpled cheeks—gone.
We didn’t know it would be their last supper,
The last sip of soup, the last slice of bread.
We didn’t know it would be their last bath time,
The last soaping up, the last rinsing off.
The last lifting of arms to slip into pajamas,
The last carefully chosen story to read.
Never again their warm weight on our laps,
Never again their quick hop into bed.
The last tucking in, the last goodnight kiss,
The last lullaby, the last shutting the light.
Gone….the last….never again.
We didn’t know. We didn’t know.
Lesléa Newman has created 85 books for readers of all ages including the dual memoir-in-verse, I Carry My Mother and I Wish My Father and the children’s books, Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story, The Babka Sisters and Ketzel the Cat Who Composed. Her literary prizes include two National Jewish Book Awards and the Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award. Her newest book, Always Matt: A Tribute to Matthew Shepard, a fully illustrated book-length poem celebrating the life and legacy of Matthew Shepard, has just been published. For more information about Lesléa, visit her website: www.lesleanewman.com .