Grief, I never knew
How broken felt
How final loss appears
How empty can weigh so much
How sadness shrouds and shadows.
Grief, you are an intruder
An uninvited visitor
An unwelcome disruption to living
An unrelenting predator seeking its prey
An opportunist apprehending the vulnerable.
Grief, you are a thief
You want all of me, don’t you?
You steal my joy and seize my laughter
You distort my pain and amplify my loss
You drain my energy and capture my mind.
Grief, you are a liar
You allege that pain never ends
You say that I caused this sadness
You claim that silence is necessary
You deceive me that I’m alone in this.
Grief, you are necessary, though
You are too much at times
You are the true cost of love
You are the full measure of engagement
You are the weight that tests my buoyancy.
Grief, I will go through you—grow through you
I reach for dawn in darkness
I reach in for dormant strength
I reach out to others, for they are love
I reach up to Him, the Source of all light.
Grief, be still
It’s time for us to say goodbye
I will cry and hurt and heal
I will carry your memory
As an anchor to my humanity
And I will be whole again.
