Unspoken Sisterhood, Rachel Simon

Unspoken Sisterhood
by Rachel Simon

There is an unspoken sisterhood
A group of women with babies born still
Those who’ve made it through
Those who’ve had the will

We are strong, perseverant and determined
That is without a doubt
But we are no longer whole
We’re brokenhearted and empty throughout

We’re driven to find others who can understand our pain
The turn our lives have taken being so unplanned
We’re overwhelmed with confusion and questions
Yes, we’ve been dealt a raw hand

We thought we’d be fulfilled and joyful
Getting little babies to bring home
But in the blink of an eye, we’re empty-handed
Altered paths we’re left to roam

Now we seek the answers to questions unthought-of
Not researching the assumed baby rashes and remedies
With the Internet as our source
Instead we read blog after blog of dead babies

So it’s this way that we learn of each other
Through websites, blogs and notes
Otherwise complete strangers
With an experience of which we cannot gloat

It may sound strange to others
But about our loss we can freely talk
In each other we seek comfort, support, a shoulder on which to cry
You can’t fully comprehend until in our footsteps you walk

It’s like we’ve known one another all of our lives
And we realize there’s only one side to this coin
This is why we are so thankful for each other
But truthfully, this is a sisterhood you never want to join

:::

about the poet.
Rachel Simon lost her daughter Shiloh to an umbilical cord accident in October 2008. She created a website in memory of Shiloh: In Memory of our Daughter, and maintains a blog called Our Healing Journey.