Grieve

 

You are captured in this moment

Numbed by the overwhelming loss

Held by disbelief and confusion 

With answerless questions

Grief is the cost of loving someone

The greater the love, the greater the grief

And grief is healthy as part of a healing process

But, you must get beyond this moment

You must know

I never intended to leave you

I knew I would, eventually

But I didn’t know it would be this soon

There were so many things

I needed to say to you

Now, I will have to say them

Through stories and memories

As you walk through the fields 

of our memories

You will see flowers blooming 

from seeds planted before my departure

You will hear our conversations 

From a different place

You will hear them differently 

You will hear what I tried to say 

And you tried not to hear

Life is fleeting

It rarely runs on our schedule 

It starts late or early

And it always end far too soon

When we were younger

Our conversations went on

Long after they actually ended

Because neither of us 

Wanted to be the first to say “goodbye”

It’s like that now

My time here on this plane

Is winding down

Soon, I will lay down to slumber

And awaken on another shore

You will stay here

You will continue on

You will cry and laugh

You will mourn and rejoice

You will grieve

Grief is the process by which healing begins

Grieve silently

Grieve loudly 

Grieve angrily

But, you must allow yourself to grieve

Weep

Scream

Cry

Sit in a dark room

Surround yourself with loved ones

Push everyone away

Hold everyone too tightly

Wander aimlessly 

Get lost in work

Sleep

Don’t sleep

Eat

Don’t eat

Read

Write

Sing

Look at old photos

Hold on to a memory keepsake 

Lose track of time

Reflect

Grieve 

Do all of these

Do none of these

Grieve

However you must do it

Grieve

When it is time

You will hear me

You will hear what I’ve tried to say

Life is tender

Life is tough

Life is fragile

Life is sturdy

Life is kind

Life is meant to be lived

Grief is part of it

Grieve

Then live

© Ron Simpson Jr

September 16, 2018