A baby dies at birth, or within days, <br />Such a sorrow! <br />Who has the strength to bear it? <br />That is why we stand with the parents, <br />Holding them up with all our arms, shoulders, hearts. <br />How can we stand to part <br />with this pink cherub, this piece of heaven? <br />Burial is more a planting of our hopes <br />More than an interment. <br />Like the chubby bulbs of tulips <br />We know with certainty <br />They will rise with a flourish <br />Of intense color, <br />Even if only for God to see.<br /><br />Lillian Susan Thomas<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/on-death-of-an-infant/
