Good Grief
Sep. 18, 2023 • By Jason Elhilow
DescriptionA poem exploring the multifaceted nature of grief.
Message"But what is grief, if not love persevering?”
ImageWRTN
God.My God."Oh My God.""Wow."
The moments you hear of deathAre irreplaceable.A time only replicated byAnother death.
In that split second almostOne Year AgoI wanted to find the right words.Yet "Oh My God. Wow." was my response.
Let me tell you, losing a life in your life isDestined to happen. But almost One Year AgoMy first happened.
For once, I had to truly grapple withGrief.Hard grief, bad grief,Good grief.
Good grief?Good grief!Good grief.How are you supposed to process it?
One route: Enjoy the time you had with them.Another: Roll around in depression.I've always enjoyed celebrating life and death,Treasuring the moments of the past. Boom, a solution.
But even still, time slowly healing all of our wounds,I still feel a hole. I'm not whole."Boom, a solution."A bit too easy.
So, I'm still a bit stuck. We all are, honestly.That attests to human nature: we never know how to deal with loss.We've invented religious reasons and beautiful holidays and expensive events to respect themYet can never get over it. And we shouldn't.
No, do not live in your pain.Don't make life all about loss.Don't accept tears as the end.Don't think you can't move on.
But if there is anything I've learned sinceSeptember 23, 2022,It's that it's okay to take things slow.There's no shame in letting love trump time.
That may be the only good from grief;That's the best lesson from it all.Sadness seeps deep, but don't let itControl your life.
Enjoy what you have now, cherish what you had then,And never forget them.
The moments you hear of deathAre irreplaceable.A time only replicated byAnother death.
In that split second almostOne Year AgoI wanted to find the right words.Yet "Oh My God. Wow." was my response.
Let me tell you, losing a life in your life isDestined to happen. But almost One Year AgoMy first happened.
For once, I had to truly grapple withGrief.Hard grief, bad grief,Good grief.
Good grief?Good grief!Good grief.How are you supposed to process it?
One route: Enjoy the time you had with them.Another: Roll around in depression.I've always enjoyed celebrating life and death,Treasuring the moments of the past. Boom, a solution.
But even still, time slowly healing all of our wounds,I still feel a hole. I'm not whole."Boom, a solution."A bit too easy.
So, I'm still a bit stuck. We all are, honestly.That attests to human nature: we never know how to deal with loss.We've invented religious reasons and beautiful holidays and expensive events to respect themYet can never get over it. And we shouldn't.
No, do not live in your pain.Don't make life all about loss.Don't accept tears as the end.Don't think you can't move on.
But if there is anything I've learned sinceSeptember 23, 2022,It's that it's okay to take things slow.There's no shame in letting love trump time.
That may be the only good from grief;That's the best lesson from it all.Sadness seeps deep, but don't let itControl your life.
Enjoy what you have now, cherish what you had then,And never forget them.
