So many words recorded to choose from
is daunting, and then the enchantment of
finding the right ones to express
the emotions of grief are precious.
Loss is profound and often not singular.
My mind’s eye can remember
the picture of John-John Kennedy
saluting at his father’s funeral.
It was not just his father, but
also our father, our president and
the sense of loss at the time was
powerful to some higher degree.
It was big time – star quality and
still personal as we each
measured our sorrow and
the impact of emptiness.
How strong our heart has to be
to pump in such a way that
we are able to keep our equilibrium
during times like these.
Personally, I have seen how a loss
can grip, in a fervent way,
the emotions of an old man
standing by the grave of a lost friend.
There are words that have to be spoken,
news to be caught up on, and
questions asked that will
not be answered except in
the self-acclaimed assurance
that this dear friend felt
the same of you as you do now of him.
I watch the old man exit in a slow gait.
I walk to the grave and examine the stone.
I have no words to say, but
cry unashamedly because I am
moved by the beauty of friendship
just witnessed and felt a sense of loss.
I feel diminished and can only
take solace in the knowing
that new bonds are forming
even as old ones are lost.
stanski
February 11, 2023, ^
…
Steve Haarman 