Inspiration – “I stopped thinking about extreme grief as the sole vehicle for great art when the grief started to take people with it.” – Hanif Abdurraqib
The thing about grief is
it is alive and warm
like a child
and begs to be fed, nurtured
you obey and it grows
within you
eating you
mimicking you enough to
convince it IS you.
Hoodwinks you to think
you are ‘over it’
and have ‘moved on’
but it is there – festering, biding
its presence betrayed
only through your words
and paints
and lonely sobs on a winter night
conjuring memories
picking at scabs
making sure every laceration lasts
till the agony it inflicts becomes your succor
a leech disguised as savior
until the day comes
it pushes too far
the mask rips open
and you jolt awake
Oh yes! You have captured the many faces of grief!
I strongly resonate with this portrait of grief as a hungry child. You have captured how the waves of grief hit us and leave us, gobbling up our energy and hope (sometimes). Thank you for sharing.
I love the line ” a leech disguised as savior”. This was such a poignant examination of grief. Great job!