we have wondered
what to tell her,
baby with her teeth
still soft beneath
her gums,
who knows nothing
of loss or what comes next.
she sleeps in my bed
and kicks me while
she dreams of milk.
who comes to her
at night,
god or her lost sister
bearing witness from the
other side?
our mothers give
us the word for death
and we see it everywhere.
children have always
known,
with or without
a name.