03/30/2026
Be gentle as people pass by.
They may be going home
to empty chairs, and beds.
Empty hands that once held another’s.
Empty machines once filled with messages.
Walking with empty arms. Empty wombs.
They stroll by you, wishing the sky
would collapse on top of them
so they could see their face again.
Please be gentle with
the grief that fills them
and the loss that left them
empty.
- Sara Rian