Tag: grief

A Quieter Kind of Joy

I chose joy as my word many years ago. And it mattered. At the time, joy felt like something to fight for. To protect. To defend from people and circumstances that were very willing to take it. But joy changes. Especially in January. January is not a neutral […]

Before the Sun Rose

Way before the sun rose,I looked out beyond the treesand the gray mist, soft and merciless,wrapped around everything.A quiet reminder that some absencesnever really leave,they just learn to settle in the cornersof our breath. I didn’t realize how much it would hurt.How much I would missthe feelings that […]

Ghosts in My Suitcase

In my dreams,I am always packing.Suitcases lined up like soldiers,zippered mouths strainingwith clothes I’ll never wearto places I never quite reach. I set out,but the road splinters into side streets,detours,barriers that flash like neon reminders:“Not today.”And so I stumble off-rampafter off-ramp,carrying too much,getting nowhere. The ghosts wait for […]

Focus Drips with Sadness

“Personal tragedy has ways of focusing us in ways other things can’t.”Congressman Joseph Morelle, NY, recently said this, and oh boy, is that ever true. Focus isn’t always a calm, zen-like, candlelit process. Sometimes it’s a zap. A kick in the gut. A cruel nudge from the universe […]

Sitting in a Vat of Trauma

Sitting in a vat of trauma,  I soak in memories etched deep,  The echoes of a thousand cries,  Breaking through the walls of sleep. Walking in the footsteps of pain,  Each step heavier than the last,  The path is worn, the ground is hard,  By the burdens of […]