Poems submitted by parents:

Angel Mom

Orphans, widows and widowers.
A child taken away by death,
Has no name for a Mom.

Angel Mom is what she is,
A love for her child that
Knows no bounds.
A strength from an unknown source.
A pain so physical yet
She lives on.

Caring for and loving her
Child in this world,
Never knowing that
Her child was an Angel,
Here only for a while.

Walking in two worlds.
Her child’s and hers.

Heartache felt of the loss,
Compassion for other Angel Mom’s
Is what she has.

Angel Mom’s meet and share,
Experiences and feelings of all
They bear,
Laughing and crying together,
Giving comfort and peace,
Of all those who feel
What is so real.

She flays as if drowning,
But surfaces again,
And knows she must go on,
Till they meet again.

Her child left home,
Never to return.
The loving arms are empty,
And longingly they burn.

Angel Mom’s gather
In love and in friendship.
Developing bonds to last
A lifetime.

Looking forward to each
Time they are together,
Remembering their child
And giving tribute to them,
For the life that they shared.

Reliving the tragedy
Of their greatest loss.
Pleading for their child
To be whole again.
Waiting patiently for their
Return to the arms
Of the Mom that loves
Them forever.

Not seeing, hearing or touching
Is an anger that seems
To rear its ugly head,
And tears her heart into
Tiny shreds.

Eagerly waiting for the time that
She will go to her child’s
Place of rest.
To be with the child
Who so suddenly left.

Forever be an Angel Mom,
Full of love, wisdom,
Strength and caring.
Loving all her children,
As much as she always has.
Never forgetting the one
That has gone,
And will never be back.

Taking comfort,
From knowing one day
They’ll meet again,
In the place that her
Child has gone.

Written by an Angel Mom, Lesley Couzens, after her son Leedon passed away on August 17 2008. 

Broad Shoulders

Strong and tall, with shoulders so broad,
bearing all that doesn’t come lightly.
Daddy lost his child today
and is sad and weary from the pain.

Being strong for all those around him,
giving a shoulder for them on to cry.
Smiling through a pain so strong,
finding it difficult and oh so long.

Wanting to weep, but showing a strength
that is constantly deep and ever solid.
Never knowing that a stray tear has escaped,
from the loving eyes full of pain.

Trusting that his family will be out of harm's way,
not able to save the life of his child.
He drowns in the heartache of memories past,
frowning with frustration of a life not saved.

Experiencing a pain that is so awfully deep,
it won’t go away and he cannot sleep.
Waiting, waiting, waiting,
but not to return to his fold,
innocently left by his darling child.

Comforting the mother of his loved one true,
through the heartache, the pain and the searching.
She’s yearning as much as he too,
shrouded by pain as deep as the ocean,
like waves crashing and pounding without an end.

Weeping in the arms of each other,
clutching tightly and grappling for fear of losing
all that is left of memories and goodness
found in the eyes of the child that was stolen by death.

Solace the feeling that lasts only a while,
Daddy is grateful for the time that he had.
Cannot accept his precious and kind child is gone,
praying and wishing for his return to his
Father that will love and miss him until the end of time.

Reeling from the darkness when times get bad,
Looking to the future living on a thread.
Feeling so helpless that he can’t give the love of his life
the child that she lost to the universe of heaven.

Quietly grieving for the loss that he feels,
showing naught to others, while repressing the need
to shout and scream by pretending it’s not real.
Frustration at the wild anger he keeps in check,
wanting it to stop to allow peace in his shattered heart.

Like a knife in his chest, so sharp like steel.
Hoping that it is a nightmare to terrible to be real.
Anger, hurt, pain, frustration, longing, sadness
Those are his feelings and thoughts everyday.

Wanting to touch his child who’s so far away,
Never knowing when this will come to pass.
His arms are empty and light, wishing that he could
take flight to gather his child from deaths door.

Accepting forever the pain and heartache,
He will take to his grave.
Patiently waiting to meet again,
The child of his loins and rid himself of the pain.

Loving his family till the end of his days.
Not wanting to leave them, but part of him did the
day he said goodbye and scattered the ashes
of the loved one unique in his own special way.

Forever the Daddy to the others he’ll be,
Not knowing when his time will be free,
To once again talk and reminisce with his
Child of the spirit life that he has lost.

Written by Lesley Couzens, in loving memory of her son Leedon

My Dearest Child

My dearest child,
the day you went away my heart
was ripped from my chest,
a part of me went with you
and the world came crashing
down around me.

My dearest child,
although time goes on without you,
I think of you everyday
and miss you so much it hurts.

My dearest child,
I have a knot in my chest that is painful,
as if a knife has pierced my heart,
and I know that the pain of losing you
will be with me for all of my life.

My dearest child,
You are so precious, kind and gentle.
It is so hard to accept that
you had to go away.

My dearest child,
I cry for you every day
and long to look upon your face,
hear your voice, touch your cheek
and hold you in my arms one more time
like when you were a little boy
and make everything right.

My dearest child,
I wish that it was a dream,
and you were coming home,
But you will never come,
and a dream it will never be.

My dearest child,
I feel you with me sometimes
and that makes me happy for a while.
The sadness in my heart is so hard to bear
and crying is my only release.

My dearest child,
people tell me to remember that I have other
children, this I know I am not an idiot.
Everyone should know that your brothers
cannot fill the void left by you,
that space is yours,
and yours alone.

My dearest child,
only the people that have lost their child
can know what I am feeling
and the pain that I bear.
Those others must remember that my life changed,
and I changed the day that you went away.
I will never be the same again,
and I hope that people will accept this.

My dearest child,
this is my time to grieve for the
loss of my precious child.
This is my time to cry
and be sad for a while.
And one day I will be able
to think of you with a smile
and hopefully fewer tears.
And when I'm old and grey
and my time on earth is done,
I will come home to you
in the place that you have gone.

My dearest child,
remember that my love for you will never die,
and I will miss you for the rest of my life.
And I believe that you are an Angel looking
over us from up above beyond the
distant stars.

by Lesley Couzens in loving memory of Leedon

My Little Leedon

The day you were born,
left us with a future full
of hope and happiness for
our second child.

Then you grew with your golden hair,
and your eyes turned brown.
You began to walk, run and play
with a happy smile.

You were always laughing,
happy and full of mischief.
And sometimes when you were
naughty and you were scolded,
you would smile,
and our hearts would melt.

Your middle years were happy ones,
full of fun times with family
and friends a plenty.

The girls would chase you,
and you would laugh or smile.
Not a care in the world
for which girl was there for a while.

Fishing was your passion,
and each fish was a trophy.
With every catch you showed
your excitement with glee.

You have a special smile,
that can be mirrored by no other.
Your vibrant laughter was
as contagious as a virus.

You had your heartbreak
and trials,
which you overcame
with a smile.

You loved to ride your
motorbike,
for miles along far
distant roads.
And when you returned home,
we would always thank
the Lord.

Your singing always
warmed a thousand hearts,
And brought your Mom to tears.

You were a happy and
contented child,
And grew into a happy
and wonderful young man.

Then tragically you went
away,
and left us all alone.
But one day we will see
you again,
in your eternal home.

by Lesley Couzens