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Haunted Regrets
Beleaguered Goodbyes
I placed the wind chimes with a lantern, on the hook, by his grave
being alone in the darkness always made him afraid
On his tombstone, a postcard, we had saved from that day
we built sandcastles and motes on the beach where we played
The last thing I remember, the deafening screams of the sirens
the awful discovery when we located my son
Face down in the shallows, a starfish in his hand
surrounded by seaweed and submerged in the sand
I'll never forget or forgive that moment looking away
or the fear in his voice as he was pulled down by the waves
So here I will stay on this bench by his side
begging for mercy and the changing of tides
About the Creator
Kelli Sheckler-Amsden
Telling stories my heart needs to tell <3 life is a journey, not a competition
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The sun was high when Lance pulled off the road and into the dusty lot of the service station. The sign back at the hairpin--the first sign in a long time--said they just rolled into Hatter’s Creek, Population 63. It was small enough it didn’t appear on the handmap in Shelby’s lap, yet here it stood, the first backwater township on the fringes of the National Park. The plan was to gas up, restock the snack bag, and press on into the wilderness.
By Zack Graham4 days ago in Fiction
Comments (7)
Very powerful!
Oh. My. Gosh. This is utterly devastating! So well written💗
Wow, this is so heartbreaking, how much you said in so few words, is incredible.
Oh, this is so tragic…
Omgggg, this was so devastating!! 🥺🥺🥺
Ours was a car accident six miles from home. He crossed over the center line, head on, never knew what hit him. We try to keep a solar lantern next to his grave at all times. He didn't like the dark, either. For us, it's not a postcard. It's glitter. He loved anything that sparkled. For his funeral some of his cheerleading friends had made a sign, "Keep Calm & Sparkle On". We're sure they're still sweeping up glitter from those parsonage floors almost eleven years later.
How sad for any mother. Hope this is not a true story, but if it is I am so sorry. Tugs at the heartstrings.