PLEASE, don’t ask me if I’m over it yet.

I’ll never be over it.

PLEASE don’t tell me she’s in a better place.

She isn’t here with me.

PLEASE don’t say, “at least she isn’t suffering.”

I haven’t come to terms with why she had to suffer at all.

PLEASE don’t tell me you know how I feel,

Unless you have lost a child.

PLEASE don’t ask me if I feel better.

Bereavement isn’t a condition that clears up.

PLEASE don’t tell me, “at least you had her for so many years.”

What year would you choose for your child to die?

PLEASE don’t tell me,

“God never gives us more than we can bear.”

PLEASE, just say you are sorry.

PLEASE, just say you remember my child, if you do.

PLEASE, just let me talk about my child.

PLEASE, mention my child’s name.

PLEASE, let me cry.

- Rita Moran