About a month ago I was asked by a follower of my FB page to write a poem for what would have been her son’s sixth birthday.
William Dallas was born premature on January 27th, 2011 and passed away in his mother’s arms on February 11, just fifteen days after he was born.
I struggled to write the poem, started it three or four different times but just couldn’t do it. She had sent me messages detailing her pain and her struggle with suicidal thoughts after his death.
She wanted a piece that reflected her pain and finally a few hours before midnight on the 26th I felt I could do right by them, and this is what I wrote.
On a Kiss
On a kiss, life slipped
passed devastated lips
and faded into lungs of sorrow.
And I have lived breathless ever since,
choking on the urge to exhale
and be free to find you again.
But if I slip
and breathe you into their grieving eyes
I will see you dancing
upon their sympathies
before they blink,
and your curtain is drawn again.
So I shall inhale,
and hold you,
bursting in my heart,
burning against the walls of my lungs
until the day your kiss slips
from my lips again,
and carries our last breath away
together.
© Nicole Lyons 2017
Nicole Lyons 
Sad and beautifully done.
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Thank you
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Reverent, respectful and achingly beautiful
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So beautiful
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Thank you
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I so admire you for this, to step into another’s agony and give such devastatingly beautiful voice to it.
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Thank you
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Made me cry
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Such beautiful words. I have become such a fan of yours. I always have Instagram notify me when you post something new. My favorite part was “But if I slip
and breathe you into their grieving eyes
I will see you dancing
upon their sympathies
before they blink,
and your curtain is drawn again.” The whole poem is so beautiful but this part was amazing! You are wonderful! Thank you for your words!
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F*ck, I can’t believe you took on such a task! And created such sacred yet visceral work, moving us to tears. Well done well done
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Hi there, thank you, it was a difficult one, I pounded that out at the last minute and she was very pleased. Thank you for reading.
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