by Autumn Gordon
Autumn wrote these haiku about her firstborn daughter Ingrid Elizabeth, who died from complications of prematurity in the winter of 2013. Thank you so much, Autumn, for sharing them with us.
Was and is Ingrid
Oh Love! My Lovely, In Love
Over the moon with you, sweet
Skin shades of red
Strong legs splayed all akimbo
Swaddled face, nose, lips: perfect
Watching from outside
You squirm or sleep in twilight
In and out you breathe
A longing arm in
To touch the universe, you
What wonder I see
Today, I hold you
Your body against my heart
That is where you dwell
Haiku is such a great form here, capturing so much in something so brief.
That first line—Was and is Ingrid—captures the loss and that our babies are always part of us.
Thank you for sharing.