02/11/2025
The Ghost of Valarie Karen
Beneath the moss, beneath the clay,
In silence cold, you rest away.
No cradle rocked, no lullaby,
Just shadowed grief
and a mother’s cry.
Born in pain, with hair like night,
A fragile form, too soon took flight.
The twist of fate’s cruel hand,
Left you dust upon this land.
Forgotten stone, no flowers there,
Only whispers haunt the air.
Yet in the night, I hear her weep,
A love too deep for death to keep.
And in my dreams, I see your face,
A fleeting wisp, a ghostly grace.
A sister lost, yet not alone,
For sorrow sings where love has grown.
LA
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The Ghost of Valarie Karen' rose from the silence of her untimely passing – born in 1961 to Ronald Lee and Mary Bess Johns in Sanford, Florida. Her life ended during childbirth, her tiny body laid to rest in Palatka, Florida. Yet Valarie's memory persists – a ghostly presence in dreams, a haunting love that transcends death. This poem confesses the enduring ache of her loss, while revealing glimpses of beauty still – 'sorrow sings where love has grown.' Psalm 139:13-16 reminds us God crafted each life with purpose – even in brevity, Valarie's life forever impacts mine.
