When Autumn Stopped Being So Beautiful:

For Derek, 9/29/1979 – 10/26/2011

Fall unsettles me.
The air cools with a hush
that’s both fleeting

and permanent.
The moon reflects silence
and absence.

My son was born
in late September.
I lost him in October.

Two months hold celebration
and grief, memory
and mourning together

where I walk again through
the joy of cradling my firstborn
and the ache of his leaving.

© Linda K. Sienkiewicz 2025

Remember, one conversation, asking someone how they’re really doing — and being ready to truly listen — can save lives. Because here’s what we know: No one has to face this alone. Help exists. Healing is possible. And all it can take is for one person to start a conversation. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Also read Derek’s Black Hill Spruce
Birthdays after you lose a child

Thank you for visiting! Author Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a wrangler of words and big messy feelings. Her second novel, Love and Other Incurable Ailments, is coming October 27, 2026, from Regal House Publishing: When love letters from a despondent stranger land in her lap, an anxious overthinker becomes convinced she’s the cure, and sets off to save him, and herself, blissfully armed with nothing but magical thinking.
Connect with Linda on social media via LinkTree. Check out Linda’s Books.
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