Grief

 It pops out of no where

Just

Like

That

A photograph

A smell

A memory

A tiny piece of love

That once happened

Now gone

or so it seems

Yes, we carry them with us always

But we can’t see or 

Touch them anymore

Except in the dark of night

In our dreams and in

Our most private spaces

There, we can laugh and cry

Wrestle and hug

Talk and scream with delight

If not for the birds, the fish

All of our dogs and cats

The trees, flowers and plants

The oceans, seas and sun

If not for the sweet earth

And the red hot fires

We too would disappear

From this reality

Just a name

Can burst the dam inside me

That I protected so well

With levees and sand

Just a face

A shape

In a dress

Long hair

And sweet skin

I crumble

I fall apart

I don’t want to

Put myself back

Together again

With all that armor on

Let me soak in these tears

Help me love again

Without caution or fear about change

Let me know that all is correct

Just as it should be

And

I still miss the young child

And 

I love this young adult

Just like I recently lost

My favorite photograph of me

As a 2 or 3 year old

But, I didn't lose her

I have realized how much

That little girl me

Had to perform so well

Felt so pressured by energies

All around her

Although I mourn her loss

I feel so sad for her that 

She was so young and impressionable

Hooked by our culture’s tasty bait

And became the person

She thought she should be

(With a few major flaws

And many strengths)

Only now can I see

I don’t have to keep on 

Entertaining

I can rest now and let go of all

That pressure, worry and concern

Of the past

What matters is today

And, how we treat each other

Now