Why did we obey her edict?

by Roseanne Freed


The sun still rises the birds still sing,
but my daughter is dead.
One in three Americans have lost

someone to the Corona Virus.
Am I selfish mourning my child
if she didn’t die from Covid-19?

Is my grief different from theirs?
I feel their sorrow, but I feel mine too.
Is it ok if I weep far from my pillow?

They couldn’t be with their loved
ones when they died.
Neither could we. Mahalia refused

to accept she was dying,
didn’t want any tears or pity
at her bedside, left strict instructions

at the hospital— No visitors!
Her father and I obeyed
our stubborn daughter’s

wishes like a government edict.
But now all our unsaid words
of farewell hang heavy

on our hearts, and we ask ourselves:
Were we right to stay away?
Why did we stay away?


* * * * *

Poet Roseanne Freed was born in South Africa and now lives in Los Angeles. She loves hiking and shares her fascination for the natural world by leading school children on hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains. Her poetry has been published in Contrary Magazine, Verse-Virtual, ONE ART and Blue Heron Review.