For Beatrice (7th January, 2015)

A time of joy, a time of pain,
A baby girl born,
And passed away,
In just one day.

Nine months of growing, hoping,
Waiting, expecting,
Making plans for a future
That wasn’t to be.

They held her in their arms
For just a few hours,
They named her Beatrice,
The blessed one.

Afterwards…

They chose a special spot,
On the edge of the Levels,
A place of peace and solitude,
A place to be.

They built a rustic bench
In her memory
And wrote her an epitaph
Nailed to a tree.

Nine years later…

Walking by, enjoying the view,
I notice the bench,
I read the epitaph,
I pause, reflect,

I think of little Beatrice
Who lived so short,
I pray peace for her parents
Who loved and lost.