New Year’s Revelation
©2019 Susan Noyes Anderson
Image by Nordwood Themes on Unsplash
A new year for an altered life––
I guess it does seem fitting.
2018 hit us hard,
its sorrows unremitting.
Death and Grief Poems
Not one of us passes through life without being touched by death and grief. Initially, I had only a handful of poems dealing with that topic. I did not feel a specific category on death and grief was necessary for this website. Sadly, after the loss of a child (my youngest son) in 2018, that has changed. This new topic includes 40 poems on death and grief, written as part of my own grieving process. I hope this category helps other bereaved parents find and use them as part of their own healing from the loss of a child.
FINDING THE POEM YOU WANT: As you scroll through this section, simply read each snippet sample (usually the first four lines) to get a feel for the poem. When you find something you like, click “CONTINUE READING” to view the entire poem.
(My poems about death are here for non-commercial purposes only. Please include full copyright information on every copy, emailing a request for permission before using. For internet use, a link back to this site is required. May peace and comfort be yours on this difficult path.)
Making Room
©2019 Susan Noyes Anderson
Your room still holds the scent of you;
sometimes, I venture in.
One step across the threshold, and
the memories begin.
Hope Takes Wing
©2019 Susan Noyes Anderson
image by Eli Defaria on Unsplash
I know that you are busy now
with things to learn and do and see;
but when you find some extra time,
might you draw close and bide with me?
A Mother’s Song
©2011 Susan Noyes Anderson
image used with permission from KmBerggren
I took you in my arms the day you came into this world.
Around your head, it almost seemed that bits of heaven swirled.
I nurtured you and cared for you and read you “Goodnight, Moon.”
But then your life came calling. You slipped away too soon.
Grave Concerns
©2019 Susan Noyes Anderson
image by Jake Blucker on Unsplash
We’re flying down the highway
on a bright, sunshiny day.
The skies are blue, the clouds colored
in white and violet-gray.
Taking Down the House
©2019 Susan Noyes Anderson
Today we bid the house farewell,
last of the last goodbyes.
Bare walls looked down on emptied shelves
as tears welled in our eyes.
Fingerprints of You
©2019 Susan Noyes Anderson
I’m writing with your pen today,
the one that filled your hand.
So many things I need to say,
so few I understand.
The Song of Grief
A little over six months into this journey, I find myself trying to negotiate a sort of uneasy truce with the heartache of losing my son. I am realizing grief will be with me for a lifetime, and I feel like I’m closing in on a vision of how to carry it. On my best days, I let it sing to me, sweet memories of his life and essence that draw me closer to him and to the Savior.
©2019 Susan Noyes Anderson
image by Ines Alvarez Fdez on Unsplash
I think that as the time goes by
I feel your absence more.
The stark finality of it
grows harder to ignore.