Caroline and Amanda are mother and daughter: grandmother and mother to Rosie May.

A Lament for Charlie George

May 2002

Dear Mummy, 

Don't worry, I'm just sleeping, 

And dreaming a wonderful dream, 

Of picking daisies and chasing some fairies 

We never got to hold you close not even for a while,

We never got to hear you laugh or see your lovely smile, 

We never got to hold your hand and take you for a walk, 

We did not know you

But a little 

Yet we loved you

You were part of us

And as we held you 

We washed your beautiful body 

In Memoriam of the sister I never knew

13th December 1952 – 13th December 1952

I am supposed to have an older brother,

But 12 years ago, 

Before I was even born,

Something dreadful happened,

The baby suffered. 

I've grown wings

And I am flying

I hear a baby

That is crying

I've come here

By special request

Surprise baby

I'm your special guest

My wife and I and still grieving for our son.

Surrounded by love in a meadow of green,

Our baby is with us, though no longer seen.

You'll never face turmoil; you'll never face strife

All I ever wanted

Was to hold you in my arms,

To kiss you and to cuddle you

And keep you safe from harm.

But you'd gone before I had the chance

Ben, you filled our hearts with joy,

If you would have lived, you would have been Daddy's little boy.

Mummy loves you lots, Daddy does too.

I never thought that I'd be here today, 

I never thought that things could go this way, 

This simply wasn't part of all I'd planned, 

It's been 4 years since my perception of just what a mother's love meant changed for ever, May 13th 2002, late on a Monday afternoon. A date forever etched in my brain, the day when my pregnancy naiveté dissolved in a puddle of bloody amniotic fluid as my waters broke at just over 18 ½ weeks gestation.

I had a normal pregnancy and suffered from all the normal sickness backache etc.