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Miscarriage
June 23, 2026
Miscarriage
On a tear-stained
bereavement room sofa
I hold my newly-widowed mom.
She’s prayerful and stoic.
In the ceasing
of a heartbeat,
I have graduated
from playmate to foothold,
her steady rock
of more than 42 years,
now rests in eternal slumber;
his body awaits autopsy.
More than anything,
I could use a sister right now
to help digest
this intoxicating cocktail
of sorrow and commitment,
but mine was never born,
terminated by nature
before she could delight
in sun on her face
or experience the pleasure
of a heartfelt bearhug.
I take comfort in thinking
while I am here on earth
consoling one parent,
she is in the afterworld
greeting the father
she has waited
nearly forty years
to embrace.
Editor: Lia Cook
About the Poet
Elaine Sorrentino, author of Belly Dancing in a Brown Sweatsuit (Kelsay Books, 2025) has been published in journals such as Quartet Journal, ONE ART: a journal of poetry, Minerva Rising, Willawaw Journal, Glass: A Journal of Poetry, Gyroscope Review, Sparks of Calliope, Sheila-Na-Gig, Poetry Porch, Ekphrastic Review, and Haikuniverse. She is facilitator of the Duxbury Poetry Circle in Duxbury, MA.
Yosh S.
July 5, 2026
This is such a beautiful expression of unimaginable pain and I appreciate you for presenting it the way you did. I have nothing to add. I am just grateful for you. Thank you.
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