What Happened to Elizabeth?

Long ago we used to dream
about our children’s names
when we grew up and married
and started having kids.

I was going to name my daughter
“Laska”, remember that?
And you were going to have
one too, and name her Elizabeth. 

What happened to these children--
the ones we dreamed about?
Are they living now in others’ arms
or are they shattered dreams? 

The pieces of the puzzle fade
in the haze of each new day,
and I forget about the dreams
I had when I was younger…

But every now and then I hear
the names that still remind me--
of the ones that might have been,
when I was eight or ten…

While I hope that my dream children
are happy where they’re at,
in whispered memories of the past
my heart still aches for them...