THE WEIGHT OF GRIEF

Photo by Marcus Ganahl on Unsplash

losing you was like losing the ability to breathe.

like my lungs filled with concrete

and crushed my heart between them.

like I spent eons gasping for air,

mustering the strength to repair

the damage, to undo the devastation.

to rescue my heart from the war you waged.

she’s the only one who needs saving.

I’m chipping away at your tombstone,

carefully excavating the heart resting within your bones.

I’m shedding the weight of grief link by link,

longing for the day we’ll meet again; for the day

these chains won’t weigh me down like they do now,

but not because I’ll stop missing you.

I will never stop missing you.

I will always hold your memory close.

but I know that if I’m ever going to heal,

I will have to separate myself from you.

that I will have to exhume my heart

from this makeshift graveyard and

let your ghost be interred alone.

if I’m ever going to grow,

I know I have to let you go.

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An excerpt from my upcoming book BONE WEAVING, available June 11th, 2023.

Pre-order the eBook here.