What is love, my son once asked me
You said it lasts forever.
But Uncle John left cousin Daniel
And Aunt Jane.
Will Daddy leave us?
Never, I replied to my son.
Yet, what is love but grief postponed?
Death will part us all, no matter
how faithful we remain.
Nothing, the Buddha tells us,
lasts forever. Only change.
So what is love if not grief
in waiting? Handmaiden to bliss
grief stands in its shadow
wearing widows weeds
watching listening waiting
‘grief postponed,’ ‘grief in waiting.’ Wow. That’s a powerful statement. That grief is inevitable is undeniable; yet in between…?!?
I’ve been reading/attending a lot of David Whyte talks lately and wonder whether you’ve ever read him. Just an aside, but your poem got me thinking ..
Back to YOU: ‘handmaiden to bliss, grief stands in its shadow’ SO Powerful. You have given me a lot to think about; especially five years after losing my husband. That the end was inevitable was clear – he had PD, and declined rapidly toward the end. And I was certainly prepared for it. But was I aware of it in your terms? I think not!
Thank you Britton, for giving me much to ponder!
Ah Sarah ~ I just read that you lost your husband 5 years ago. Mine was a scant 16 months ago, Agent Orange exposure causing lung cancer, COPD, and eventually a heart attack when he was on hospice.Together 52 years … I met him at 18. You obviously get it. ♥️💔
I’ll look up David Whyte. Thank you, yet again.