What a privilege to read this poem Jackie. I'm so sorry for your loss. I've sat with your words and read them over and over, each reading calling me to read it again, connecting me to that tenderness only the pain of grief teaches. I'll be carrying your image of grief as a fashion parade in my mind today! Thank you for sharing this.
I rarely write poetry, sometimes words appear, for instance when there was that long procession to view The Queen lying in State, the murder of Sarah Everard, the death of Diana....all no doubt were forms of grief, but from a distance, even a safe distance, but still we are such beings as we give and receive feelings like grief as if they are radio waves, invisible, they communicate on a level we don't fully comprehend. I think there is a 'why me' question when it happens, almost anger, when grief hits us, and though it's a cliche, grief is the price we pay for love does perhaps hit home hard and true. A book I might recommend is Brian Lowerys 'Selfless'.....there are YOUTUBE videos whereby he explains his views on who we are, controversial perhaps but he may be right. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Les, for your thoughtful comments. Grief is the price we pay for love, for sure. But I also believe, no matter the pain of grief, the joy of love is greater and worth every bit of it. I've come to realise grief is woven from love, turned inside-out, if you like. Thanks for the book recommend. I've just read the blurb and it looks fascinating. I'll check it out. Thanks!
I'm so sorry for the loss of your partner. Thank you for sharing the experience of your grief with us through poetry. I wrote many poems after losing my Dad and when I read them, I still tear up. There's something the language of poetry can hold for us that ordinary language cannot. I'm glad your new life-jacket is taking on a lovely form. 💗
Thanks so much Mariah. Grief is so all-encompassing, so enormous, I often reach for metaphor to express it. The image I come back to again and again is from CS Lewis in A Grief Observed: "[Their] absence is like the sky, spread over everything".
I'm so sorry for your loss of your Dad. I've subscribed to your Substack and look forward to reading your poems.
Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed my words. The photography is all from Unsplash stock pics and I've just noticed that the credit caption for the top pic hasn't published - I'll go and fix that now. Thank you :)
What a privilege to read this poem Jackie. I'm so sorry for your loss. I've sat with your words and read them over and over, each reading calling me to read it again, connecting me to that tenderness only the pain of grief teaches. I'll be carrying your image of grief as a fashion parade in my mind today! Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you so much, Helen. I'm so glad my poem connected with you. Thank you for your lovely comment, and for reading.
I rarely write poetry, sometimes words appear, for instance when there was that long procession to view The Queen lying in State, the murder of Sarah Everard, the death of Diana....all no doubt were forms of grief, but from a distance, even a safe distance, but still we are such beings as we give and receive feelings like grief as if they are radio waves, invisible, they communicate on a level we don't fully comprehend. I think there is a 'why me' question when it happens, almost anger, when grief hits us, and though it's a cliche, grief is the price we pay for love does perhaps hit home hard and true. A book I might recommend is Brian Lowerys 'Selfless'.....there are YOUTUBE videos whereby he explains his views on who we are, controversial perhaps but he may be right. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Les, for your thoughtful comments. Grief is the price we pay for love, for sure. But I also believe, no matter the pain of grief, the joy of love is greater and worth every bit of it. I've come to realise grief is woven from love, turned inside-out, if you like. Thanks for the book recommend. I've just read the blurb and it looks fascinating. I'll check it out. Thanks!
Beautiful as usual - so touching.
Thanks so much Pascale 💗
I'm so sorry for the loss of your partner. Thank you for sharing the experience of your grief with us through poetry. I wrote many poems after losing my Dad and when I read them, I still tear up. There's something the language of poetry can hold for us that ordinary language cannot. I'm glad your new life-jacket is taking on a lovely form. 💗
Thanks so much Mariah. Grief is so all-encompassing, so enormous, I often reach for metaphor to express it. The image I come back to again and again is from CS Lewis in A Grief Observed: "[Their] absence is like the sky, spread over everything".
I'm so sorry for your loss of your Dad. I've subscribed to your Substack and look forward to reading your poems.
I love the writing and the photography! That top pic is stunning.
Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed my words. The photography is all from Unsplash stock pics and I've just noticed that the credit caption for the top pic hasn't published - I'll go and fix that now. Thank you :)
Just updated the photo caption - here is the link to the artist who took the top pic: https://unsplash.com/@raphaelfyi