Grieving Poem

A subtle electric stream

From your toes to your pounding headache

A wave of goosebumps and a rise in temperature

Pain so intense, you can barely breathe

It bubbles up at your throat and clogs your nose

Tears release, stomach knots dissolve

We are never taught to honor the sadness

We are always told to be “good” to be “proper” to be “happy”

Fuck that

Be unruly, uncivilized, and raw

Let your grief roar and make space for sleep

Make space for love

Make space for forgiveness

Give your grief a hug

Love yourself as you are

Broken and glued together with gold leaf

You only have one life

Savor it.

Surround yourself with kindness and acceptance

Of course, that includes you.

Be kind to your grief

Accept your grief

Don’t shun it or compare it to someone else’s

Love and pain are deeply interconnected

Intense grief sheds a light on the intense love you shared

Honor that truth

Be kind to your love

Accept your love

You are worthy of love.

Don’t forget

Don’t neglect

The force that keeps us all united