Elizabeths Song

Elizabeth's Song
by jsenn

"The Ants Go Marching" plays over
loud speakers. She turned three
last summer strong and full of life,
she loved to sing and march in little
girl steps to her song. "the ants go
marching one by one, hoorah, hoorah"

Child-Pink color had been deftly
applied to cheeks which once
needed none to express her joy
and happiness with life.
"the ants go marching two by
two, hoorah, hoorah"

Screech of brakes, glass against
metal, her aunt was taken first.
In agonizing cries Elizabeth's
song was silenced...

"the ants go marching three by
three, hoorah, hoorah"

Valiant efforts nor a mother's
wail could rescue the body of
a tiny little girl,
but in the end, before she left,
eight others were given life by her.

"the ants go marching eight by
eight, hoorah, hoorah"

Forgive me.
In the second song
I felt the mother/child and ran
I could not bear the awfulness
in that lonely pain.

"the ants go marching nine by
nine, hoorah, hoorah"

Outside, I listened to the birds
chirping in the trees. I heard the
traffic move along city streets,
life goes on, life goes on, life
without Elizabeth's song.

"the ants go marching ten by ten,
hoorah"

Joy Senn
4/19/2002