I am your worst nightmare.
I am your worst nightmare.
I strike mostly at night while you're sleeping.
Most women I prey on never know I'm coming.
And some don't know I've been there until days later.
Not that it matters because there's no way to stop me.
I rob them of their most prized possession.
I steal from all, rich and poor, black and white.
I am an "Equal Opportunity" destroyer of dreams.
Replace what I have taken from you and I may strike again.
Or I may spare you next time. Not even I know for sure.
Last year I struck 26,000 American women, all fatally.
Likely I'll do the same this year, as nothing has changed.
Just when women least expect it I will strike out at them.
With devastating consequences for them and their families.
Most times I get away without as much as leaving a fingerprint.
I'm known from my handiwork, though none have seen my "face".
Because of that no one's out looking for me, so for now I'm safe.
My victims often refuse to discuss me or tell others what I did to them.
Their reluctance to talk about what happened helps me in my work.
I like doing my dirty work out of the glare of inquiry.
I like the quiet hours, and the anonymity.
I am aptly named because of it.
I am stillbirth.
Author Biography
Richard Olsen and his wife Sharon are the parents of Camille Rayana who
was stillborn August 17, 2000 at full term. (www.camilleolsen.com)
While they are members and supporters of MISS, Richard felt he wanted
to do more specifically to promote stillbirth research and so has founded
The National Stillbirth Society. It will be an advocacy and informational
organization and will be going online after the first of the year with
its own website, www.stillnomore.org
