5/30: GIVING GRIEF ITS SEASON
On this Memorial Day and after 12-months involving the passing of so many loved ones (for so many people), I will only recite the words of others.
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven . . .
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance . . .
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Talking to Grief by Denise Levertov
Ah, Grief, I should not treat you
like a homeless dog
who comes to the back door
for a crust, for a meatless bone.
I should trust you.
I should coax you
into the house and give you
your own corner,
a worn mat to lie on,
your own water dish.
You think I don’t know you’ve been living
under my porch.
You long for your real place to be readied
before winter comes. You need
your name,
your collar and tag. You need
the right to warn off intruders,
to consider
my house your own
and me your person
and yourself
my own dog.