Grief



If you asked me what grief meant
two months ago
I would recite the five stages
 words slipping off my tongue
like time

I would put my hands on my waist
and perhaps ask how you are
your family and loved ones
I would not understand

I knew no grief
and then suddenly I did

it made its descent upon my shoulders
its feathery wings made of hope
taken from those it touched

it clawed open my eyes
scratching and tearing
and I could not see that you were gone

every day  became a tasteless lump of nothing
morphing into a grey sludge
and all I could do was finish my plate

 I thought grief was finally satisfied
with unraveling my character
the thin layers
of my heart

and then grief perched itself upon my shoulders, began to whisper
why why why why why why why
the ebbing and flowing of time
the way I cannot comprehend loss
why

suddenly the bird took its wing
placed me underneath the leathery interior
and I began to cry
for the first time

the first rains of season
playing in the puddles
wellingtons and rubber hats
smell of fresh grass
blossoms
watermelon seeds

Time became seasons
seconds became building blocks of time
my damaged eyes finally could see despite the tears and holes

I knew nothing about grief
Until

 I began to feel alive again

About this poem

I wrote this poem a few days ago after recounting my experience with grieving and mourning. I was finally able to take a piece of what I felt and put it on paper. If you have gone through anything similar I wish you the inner healing you deserve

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Written on August 02, 2022

Submitted by scopliora on August 04, 2022

Modified on April 13, 2023

1:20 min read
54

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXXA XBCX DX EXX XFX FXX XBEX BGAXG FBGA XXXXXX CAX DX X
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,280
Words 269
Stanzas 13
Stanza Lengths 5, 4, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 4, 6, 3, 2, 1

Liora Scop

 · 2003 · Johannesburg

Liora is 18 years old and currently in her last year of school. She hopes to study psychology at university next year and is fascinated by the human psyche. Liora has won multiple competitions as well as been featured in her local newspaper several times. Her works mainly focus on life experiences that altered her perception but are not limited to only the most memorable moments. more…

All Liora Scop poems | Liora Scop Books

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    "Grief" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Nov. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/135936/grief>.

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