No one ever prepares you for pain
No one ever tells you
That pain
Will break you

Pain has a way of changing you
Mostly never for good
You will run away from it
But
It will catch on and latch at your raw wound
Like you owe it some penance
My pain
Their pain
Pain is just that, pain
Life never prepares you for pain
You always think you can skid through it unhurt
Come out on the other side stronger
Triumphant and better, maybe you do
As for me I don’t think I will ever get over this pain
I knew of a happier time
When i held my belly and smiled
Knowing that God trusted me enough
To drop a tiny human being inside me to help in His creation
I pictured happiness
Bliss
Contentment
Peace
Motherhood
After all conflicting emotions I had settled looking forward
To tiny fingers holding my hand
Loud cries waking me up at 2 am
Twitching my nose at dirty diapers
Yet relishing in the much hallo-ed title of mom
I keep feeling like its all a replay of someone else’s life
Me watching a slow classic black and white movies
Stuck on a single scene that keeps on rewinding
No one ever prepares you for pain
Life never prepares you for pain
…the pain of loosing a child

If this resonated with you, you are not alone. Grief can feel isolating, but your story matters. If you feel comfortable, I invite you to share your journey, whether through a few words, a poem, or a personal experience. Your voice could be the comfort someone else is searching for.  Leave a comment below, or,

You can share your stories through griefpoetry@gmail.com

***

This poem is about the life-altering pain of losing a child and the realization that no amount of preparation can equip someone for such a devastating experience. It begins by reflecting on the universal nature of pain, describing it as something that changes people, follows them, and settles into the deepest wounds.

The poem challenges the common belief that every hardship makes a person stronger, expressing instead that some forms of pain are so profound that they leave lasting scars and cannot simply be overcome through time or determination.

The poem contrasts the joy and hope of pregnancy with the heartbreak of loss. It recalls a period filled with excitement, anticipation, and dreams of motherhood. The image of holding a growing belly symbolizes hope and trust, while thoughts of tiny fingers, late-night cries, and everyday parenting moments represent a future that felt certain and within reach.

These dreams are portrayed as deeply cherished, making the loss even more painful because it is not only the child who is mourned, but also the life and future that were imagined alongside them.

At its heart, the poem explores the surreal nature of grief after child loss. The experience feels unreal, as though it belongs to someone else, yet the pain remains inescapably personal. The comparison to a black-and-white film endlessly replaying the same scene captures the feeling of being trapped in a moment of tragedy, unable to move forward while memories continuously resurface.

The final lines reveal the central message of the poem: while pain itself is a universal part of life, the loss of a child is a unique and overwhelming grief that defies understanding. It is a sorrow that changes everything, leaving behind a longing for a life untouched by such unimaginable pain.