Imagine..... .....
A cannon ball shot through your heart, or stomach
yet you live and breathe still
you FEEL the empty hole the cannon ball has left
you feel the weight of it inside, as if it will
suffocate you
you feel the intense pain of this great wound
yet your eyes see no hole there, no blood, no torn
flesh
Imagine..... ......... ...
you have lost all feeling
all will to live
all of your purpose in life
the ability to laugh
smile
sleep
self control
you are numb inside
you are afraid of nothing
you are afraid of everything
If you do smile
you feel guilty because your child can not
If you get any degree of enjoyment out of anything
you feel guilty because your child can not
Imagine..... ......
you forget everything
to pay bills
what day it is
what week or month it is
to keep appointments
to care for your home
to care for your car
to care for your pets
to care for your loved ones
to care for yourself
you forget where you put things and search endlessly
The one thing you can’t forget is that your child is dead
Imagine..... .......
every memory haunts you
even the good ones
they flood your mind all at once
fearing they will be lost
Imagine..... ......... ..
days without sleep
sleeping for days
just being in a limbo haze
nightmares that invade your only escape
seeing your child alive and well in a dream
knowing he is really dead
and waking up wondering if their death was
really just a
nightmare
Imagine..... ........
your child being murdered
not knowing what really happened
but envisioning the scene
as if you were there
like a movie it plays in your head
over and over
he is dead
no pause or stop button to shut it off
it begins and ends on a random reel
no matter your mood or where you are
it comes to haunt you when you least expect
Imagine..... .........
you loose all focus
you make mistakes on things you know how to do
you forget how to do things you used to know how to do
you read, but don’t know what you’ve read
you watch tv, but sit and absorb nothing
your talking about something and lose what you were
trying to say
you use the wrong words or mispronounce words
you have difficulty talking and making sense
you repeat yourself
Imagine..... ......... ..
your Faith in God crumbles to the ground
you even wonder if there is a God
you feel betrayed by him
you feel forsaken
sometimes you hate him, you scream at him and damn
him for not saving your child
sometimes you beg him and plead with him to bring
your child back
you’d give anything for one more day
but you know one more day still wouldn’t be enough
you want to have faith, but it’s so damn hard to
you just don’t know what to believe
Imagine..... ......... .......
Time...
if your child died on a Tuesday, you will hurt extra
bad every Tuesday
if your child died on the 20th of the month, every
20th of every month will hurt extra bad
three days have passed and you don’t even notice
three weeks have passed but it only feels like one
week has passed
Three months have passed but it only feels like one
month has passed
Imagine..... ......... .
time feeling like it’s moving at warp speed
Yet each day creeps by while you just want to die
you hope what they say is true, that you will
reunite with your child when you are through
Imagine ............ .....
Waking up every morning with your first thought
automatically being “My child is dead”
Imagine..... .....
Wanting so desperately to be left alone
you don't want to see to anyone
you don't want to hear anyone
the sun coming up each morning reminds you it’s
another day of torture
your afraid to hold on, yet afraid to let go
Yet at the same time you don’t want to be alone
Imagine..... .........
no one understands you
YOU don’t even understand you
you don’t trust the world
the legal system
your neighbors
strangers
God
The worst has happened
Your child is dead
Never coming back
The reality replays over and over in your mind
Your child is dead
Never coming back
Your child is dead
Never coming back
Your child is dead
Never coming back
Imagine..... .........
it’s been over 5 years since your child was alive
the numbness wears off
the full realization of what has happened sinks in
your child is never coming through that door again
your child will never call you on the phone again
you will never hear his voice again
his laughter
see his smile
see his bright eyes
feel his touch
feel his warm loving hugs
smell him
Imagine..... ......... ...
can you imagine ??