October Mourning

I left my Kindle at home this morning so I ran down to the media center and picked up October Mourning by Leslea Newman.  It looked interesting and I remember the news story from when I was in high school.  To summarize, Matthew Shepherd was the targeted victim of a hate crime, committed because he was gay while a college student at the University of Wyoming.  The crime was brutal and the poor victim was beaten, tied to a fence, and left in the cold.  He died five days later.

This book is written as a series of poems that tell the story from multiple perspectives.  The pain the tragedy caused his family, friends, and the extended U of W community is endless.  One of the poems really spoke to me.  It was called "How to Have the Worst Day of Your Life."  It was about how the parents could hear the news.  I am a parent to three beautiful, healthy children who I love more than anything in this world.  And the thought of hearing about something bad happening to one of them is enough to make me cry.  This poem reached me on that level and was the strongest connection I made while reading this book.  Here is an excerpt from that poem:

"Fumble for the phone.
Say hello.
Hear an unfamiliar voice say your name like a question.
Say, It is I, or Speaking, or That's me, or Yes?
Hear the unfamiliar voice say there's bad news.
Hear the unfamiliar voice say, 'Are you sitting down?'
Sit up.
Know deep in your gut that after you hear this bad news, your life will never be the same."

Getting bad news about a child has to be the absolute worst thing a parent can imagine.  And I hope it is never me on the receiving end of a conversation like the one above.

All in all, this book was a very quick read (I read the entire book of poems in about thirty minutes).  It was emotional, but quick, raw, and told a story.  If you like poetry, this might be a good read for you.