Today, I deviate from the given prompt. A dear friend of my family passed away yesterday, and I feel wholly unqualified and incapable of paying the deserved tribute to such a loving, genuine, inspiring individual. The loss has been on my mind too much to ignore, but less for my own sake than those whom I love and know are deeply hurting. Whether because of my personal beliefs about what the “afterlife” will be, or because of my unfortunate tendency to emotionally distance myself from painful experiences, I’ve never been great at processing death (though it’s been perhaps unusually recurrent in my life to date). I guess this is the result of that confusion and remorse.
who can answer
what is grief
when others have suffered
more than I
who grants the right
to mourn a loss
from this sheltered perch
neath a distant sky
what sacrifice
could be sufficient
to honor a soul
so beloved by all
or what regret
should be found lacking
the unsent note
a forgotten call
what depth of sorrow
is too scant, too poor
that its admission would
the memory taint
perhaps celebration
is the proper refrain
of a life lived for others
a modern saint
in what direction
can the heartache flow
when the shield of reclusion
is all that you know