Curated original poetry
Choose language that recognizes the daughter as a whole person and does not explain the loss, impose a timetable, or demand consolation from the parent reading it.
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Find your poem
10 poems
by The Quiet Voice · 11 lines
Do not call the life small because the days were few. A match burns briefly
Read, listen and shareby The Quiet Voice · 11 lines
After everyone goes home, the cups remain half-full, chairs turned toward conversations
Read, listen and shareby The Quiet Voice · 11 lines
We mark the day quietly. No candles. No wish forced through smoke.
Read, listen and shareby The Quiet Voice · 11 lines
Someone left a coat on the back pew, navy wool, one loose button,
Read, listen and shareby The Quiet Voice · 11 lines
The room was ready: small stars on the wall, blankets folded into clouds,
Read, listen and shareby The Night Voice · 15 lines
You called about nothing: the bus was late, your soup had spilled,
Read, listen and shareby The Quiet Voice · 11 lines
There is an order we pretend: old before young, winter after harvest,
Read, listen and shareby The Quiet Voice · 12 lines
Do not hand me a reason. Do not polish the silence. Do not tell me heaven needed
Read, listen and shareby The Quiet Voice · 14 lines
The question is simple for the person asking. I have learned several answers:
Read, listen and shareby The Quiet Voice · 10 lines
We signed beneath your photograph, our names suddenly evidence that we had stood in that room.
Read, listen and shareReader guide
Choose language that recognizes the daughter as a whole person and does not explain the loss, impose a timetable, or demand consolation from the parent reading it.
A poem can look right on a screen and feel wrong in the mouth. Read your shortlist aloud, notice where the voice catches, and choose the piece that sounds like something you could honestly give or say.
Use the original byline and link when sharing. For a public service, program, classroom, or publication, check the usage note and preserve the poem's line breaks.
Start with the intended use, then narrow by tone and length. A private message can be intimate; a public reading usually needs a clear opening, steady pace, and images listeners can understand immediately.
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Yes. Published pieces are original EveryPoem editorial works or approved contributor submissions. House-voice profiles explain how collaborative editorial bylines work.