Notes on Grief: The Second Year
©2020 Susan Noyes Anderson
Sculpture: Melancolie, by Albert Gyorgy
A new level of missing you
has settled on my heart.
Year two, and I am still undone
by living life apart.
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.)
A new level of missing you
has settled on my heart.
Year two, and I am still undone
by living life apart.
I stood beside your grave one day,
not too long ago.
It was an extra visit, for
my heart was feeling low.
I dreamed that I could carry you,
but now I realize
my pocket had a hole in it,
just about your size.
To grieve is a life lesson,
long in the learning.
The days carry forward;
the wheels keep on turning.
And I’ve found an instinct for
managing sorrow.
I stay in the moment,
no thought for tomorrow.
You spoke to me inside a song
and brought my soul to peace.
Soft words I knew, whispered by you,
provided sweet release.
I saw this brave little tree today,
pushing her way through a stump of wood.
She lifted my heart in such a way
that a rush of grief was held at bay,
yielded to truth and a greater good.
How unexpected life can be.
Your childhood years passed happily,
our family sunlit from the start
by you, its youngest work of art.
I miss you more
than words can say.
In every moment,
every day,
your absence leaves
an empty space
that nothing ever
will replace.