This Child Is a Loaner

"I'll lend you for a little while

A child of mine," God said.

"For you to love while he lives,

And mourn for when he's dead."

"It may be six or seven years

Or forty two or three...

But will you, til I call him back,

Take care of him for me?"

"He'll bring his charms

To gladden you and

(should his stay be brief)

You'll have his lovely memories

As a solace for your grief."

"I cannot promise he will stay,

Since all from earth return;

But there are lessons taught below

I want this child to learn."

"I've searched the whole world over

In my search for teachers true...

And from all those that crowd life's lane,

I have chosen you."

"Now will you give him all your love,

Not think the labor vain,

Nor hate me when I come

To take him back again?"

"I fancied that I heard you say...

Dear Lord, Thy will be done.

For all the joys Thy child will bring

The risk of grief I'll run.

I will shelter him with tenderness,

I'll love him while I may

And for the happiness I've known

Forever grateful stay.

But should Thy angel call for him,

Much sooner than I've planned,

I'll brave the bitter grief that comes

And try to understand."

I knew you even before you were conceived...

Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation...

Ephesians 1:11-12

You weren't a mistake, for your days were written in my book...

Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you'd live...

Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made...

Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb...

Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born...

Psalm 71:6

Little Angels

When God calls little Angels to dwell with Him above

We mortals sometime question the wisdom of His love,

For no heartache compares with the death of one small child,

Who does so much to make our world seem so wonderful and mild.

Perhaps God tires of calling the aged to His fold,

So He picks a rosebud, before it can grow old.

God knows how much we need them,

and so He takes but a few,

To make the land of heaven more beautiful to view.

Believing this is difficult, still somehow we must try,

The saddest word mankind knows,

will always be "Goodbye".

So when a little child departs, we who are left behind,

must realize God loves children

and Angels are hard to find.

My Mom is a Survivor

My Mom is a survivor,
or so I've heard it said.
But I can hear her crying at night
when all others are in bed.

I watch her lay awake at night
and go to hold her hand.
She doesn't know I'm with her
to help her understand.

But like the sands on the beach
that never wash away....
I watch over my surviving Mom
who thinks of me each day.

She wears a smile for others...
a smile of disguise!
But through Heaven's door
I see tears flowing from her eyes.

My Mom tries to cope with death;
To keep my memory alive.
But anyone who knows her knows
it is her way to survive.

As I watch over my surviving Mom
through Heaven's open door...
I try to tell her that angels
protect me forevermore!

I know that doesn't help her,
or ease the burden she bears.
So, if you get a chance, go visit her.
Show her that you care.

For no matter what she says...
no matter what she feels.
My surviving Mom has a broken heart
that time won't ever heal.

Copyright 1998 Kaye Des'Ormeaux
October 15, 1998 
Dedicated to all the moms who have lost a precious child 
& somehow managed to survive.

Poems by Kaye Des'Ormeaux

I Hear Each Tear Fall

My Mom doesn't know I'm watching her
But I'm watching her just the same
And I hear each tear fall on her face
At the mention of my name.

She says it sounds like music to her ears
that can be heard over a crowd.
I hear each tear fall on her face
When my name is said aloud.

I watch her stumble through each day
As she wishes the day would end.
And I hear each tear fall on her face
As she talks of me to friends.

But there are few who truly understand
This I've heard her proclaim.
I hear each tear fall on her face
Will my Mom ever be the same?

I know that her smiles light up a sky
But I don't see that smile today
I hear each tear fall on her face
Her blue skies have turned to gray.

I send to her my warmest hug
With the rays of the morning sun.
Then, I won't hear a tear fall on her face
For I shall erase them one by one.

Yes, my Mom doesn't know I'm watching her
But I'm watching her just the same.
And if I hear a tear fall on her face
I'll just softly whisper her name.

Copyright 2001 Kaye Des'Ormeaux
Used by permission.
Dedicated to all the moms who have lost a precious child 
& somehow managed to survive.

Poems by Kaye Des'Ormeaux