Grief

I dont know whether this can be classed as poetry or is it just stream of consciousness writing.  In any event this is what came to me in the early hours of this morning, when sleep eluded me.

Like a thief in the night
Grief slinks silently back into my life
Disturbing the peace I have fought so hard for
It is like a fractious child demanding attention
And as the mother with her child, I give in
And am taken back to the beginning
When days were so long and nights even longer.
When I thought there was no way out of this slough of despair
And I am once again immobilised by it.
But I have been here before
Many times since that April night
And I know I can climb out
And once again put grief back where it belongs
Until the next time.


30 responses to “Grief

  1. Beautifully expressed, Judith.

    If you’re interested, this might help:

    Grief . . . A Bottomless Well

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  2. Thank you Nancy. And I looked at your post which says it all. Mostly, after 13 years, the grief is under control but the happenings of the past week brought it all to the surface again.

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  3. Beautiful. I call it poetry.

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  4. This is beautiful, Judith. I am sorry that your grief feels raw and new again, but you do share it beautifully.

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    • It really is something that we learn to live with. Like a monster under the stairs it waits to pounce. But I have had lots of practice so now know how to deal with it.
      Thanks for caring.

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  5. Blank Verse. my favorite form of poetry

    Very beautiful, very very beautiful. Sweet and haunting and very touching.

    take a look at the writing of my friend bAdverse: bAdverse.wordpress.com.

    He writes only in blank verse. Also writes some beautiful and haunting poems.

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    • Thank you for those comments. I felt very raw when I wrote it at 1.30am. I glad it didn’t appear to be maudlin ramblings of an older mind.
      I have looked at your friends poetry and it is very beautiful I shall go back to read more.

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  6. I think we’ve all felt like this one time or another. I know I have. It’s when you can’t climb out of it is when you may have a problem.

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    • Thank you for commenting. It all came back because of the death of a friend last week and it felt so raw and new.
      But I know that I can get over it until the next time.

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  7. Kathleen Mattson

    Grief is so hard. My dear brother died Dec. 28 of a heart attack at age 57.
    We were very close & it still doesn’t seem possible that he’s gone & I’ll
    never see him again. Writing my feelings has given me the expression to
    cope.

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  8. This is beautiful and from the heart. Grief resembles the waves of the ocean for me. Some days are peaceful, others a bit turbulent, yet arriving at their own pace. Hugs!

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  9. It’s hard to loose someone that we love and grieving gives us the chance to mourn, accept and finally let go. But no matter what, we will always keep them in our hearts. Beautiful post.

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  10. Touching…. 😉

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  11. Yes, I would classify what you’ve written as poetry. Beautifully written poetry, too.

    The death of your friend’s husband, and the death of your husband have brought back the thoughts of my Dad’s death 17yrs ago. Of course, the thought never leaves – but the grief appears in different ways and at different times. Sometimes the grief brings solace – sometimes it brings tears. In any case, I liked your poem. I can relate.

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    • Thanks Lenore. The grief recedes for a time and then something brings it all back again. But living without that special person doesn’t come with a choice. We have to accept and move on.

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  12. Certainly poetry, Judith. Grief wears you out, doesn’t it? Sometimes I just imagine what it would be like to be without my George, and I sit and cry when I still have him. How terrible is that? But the older we get, the more frightened I get. When I think of you and your losing your soul-mate, I can hardly breathe because I feel so sad for you.

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    • I used to wonder how I would live without Robert and then I found out. Love and cherish your George while you have him. And don’t dwell on the future when he may no longer be with you. Enjoy your time together now and make many happy memories to sustain you if and when you are left on your own. Judith 🙂

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