Visible

Visible gives a voice to all who identify as a Mother to a Child in the broadest sense. The term ‘Mother’ is used to transcend across both biological and non-biological parental attachments. ‘Mother’ uses the pronouns they/their/them.

At the heart of Visible is ‘Mother’, who has endured the unparalleled pain of losing their child. Visible does not intend to compare the grief of losing a child to another, neither does it problem solve. Visible seeks to shed light upon a grieving mother’s emotions, of which may be relatable to the experiences of others alike. Each stanza opens with the line: “Mother of Child I See You”, so to amplify that their presence is acknowledged. The title ‘Visible’ further reinforces this, so to affirm that the plight of a bereaved mother should never be lost or forgotten and their experiences must be heard and believed.

Visible highlights the sheer tenacity of ‘Mother’, despite the trials and cutting emotions faced. Visible conceals the context of ‘Mother’s’ life experiences, although the linguistics implies that ‘Mother’ has experienced past trauma. Visible also refrains from expressing how ‘Mother’s’ child died. This engages readers to form their own narrative and/or relate to any personal experiences of losing a child. As such further recognition is placed on the multitude of ‘Mother’s’ emotional pain.

It is often considered sensitive and indeed easier, to contextualize grief as a feeling of ‘deep sadness’. Yet in reality the weight of grief is so much heavier, especially when surviving a child. Visible touches on feelings such as guilt which is experienced by ‘Mother’ because they have outlived their child. This is placed to open the wider narrative of loss, rather than reducing it to a singular and static emotion.

Visible invites us to consider that profound sorrow does not always begin at the moment of a loved ones passing, neither does it have a definitive end. For ‘Mother’, the hurt they carry is an accumulation of past traumatic experiences and the present scenario of their child’s death. The first stanza establishes this notion by narrating: “Fresh Pain Added, to Pain Still Raw”. Visible implies that grief is a fluid process comprising of multiple layers. Many endure excruciating and unresolved pain from past trauma, before they find themselves on the lonely and arduous journey of navigating through the loss of their child.

May Visible shine a warm light of recognition and love for every bereaved parent.