I stop working and raise my head
As I hear her laughter.
It fills me up with joy
As I eagerly wait for her
To come running to me,
To share her laughter
With me.

I listen anxiously
For her resounding footsteps
That distress me…
I always told her not to run,
Yet she always rushed
Towards me,
To share something new.

I wait for her,
Captivated by her voice.
Tormentingly the sounds begin to dim,
And I am shattered
For she has not come to me.

Silence returns to haunt my life
As I get up and search for her-
I want to hear her laugh again,
I need to hear her voice.

I do not find her
Anywhere…
In my empty house.

The laughter begins again
And I run wildly from room to room
Searching desperately
For the source…
Searching for my daughter.

Gone!!
The voice that used to fill my life
Is gone again.
I stand alone,
In a house that used to be the home,
Our home!

Though my daughter is no more,
I still feel her laughter
Echoing through my life.
I still relish hearing her voice,
Though its only memories now
I relieve those joyous moments
That find their way to me
When I am about to give up.

She returns to me,
Bringing hope
Just as she always did,
And she still continues to… even now
The echoes of the laughter of my daughter
Continue to reverberate and rejuvenate me.