For thirty years I have been taking funerals and have been privileged to tend the grief of thousands of hurting families.

Too many of those funerals have been for teenage boy suicides whom their families thought were just ‘going through a phase’. So they left them to fend off the wolves of despair and depression, bullying and prejudice by themselves without any support.

Every time the family has been shocked and could never understand why their child did this. Listen to your younglings, hug them, talk to them. Don’t let the quiet win!

‘It’s Gone Quiet’

Wish that bloody boy would turn his music 🎧 down

How can I fix supper 🍔with that sound around?

At last he’s turned it down a little

So know I sit with a cuppa ☕️ and think for a bit

It’s gone quiet…

‘Your Tea’s 🍔 getting cold!’ Shouts the voice up the stairs

‘Don’t make me come up and get you from there’

If you don’t get here soon you’ll not hear from me further

And the dog 🐕 wouldn’t mind if she’s eating your burger 🍔

It’s gone quiet…

A death discovered

A pain unfurled

How did we not see

All the hurt hid so deep?

It’s gone quiet…

The funeral ⚰️ passes and the grave is dug

The words are said with so many half-hugs

Nothing now fits 🙇🏻‍♀️ in this life that was mine

All full of emptiness I hold nothing but time ⏰

It’s gone quiet…

If only I’d listen

If only I’d spoke

If only I’d stopped

If only I’d not been…

so quiet.

It’s still quiet 😢

©Andrew Dotchin 2017