GRIEF

facing the truth

GRIEF

 

I am motionless, struggle to take a step

Eyes burn ,cheeks flush, heart flutters

 I am not shocked by this visit

I utter to myself the word death

When one loses a love no matter how

One must grieve

Emotions burst forth like a waterfall, punishing

 

I find a chair to sit and internalize

What just transpired in room 208

A loss of great magnitude now and forever

My Henry is in another world

A place of the present time

With no memory after he was wounded in the war

 

I neglect to report back to the doctor

What our, truly, what my decision shall be

Yet I believe he shall intuit eventually

I cannot engage with him once more

I trust he will agree with my resolution

 

I continue to weep, unable to stand

At once, a tap on my shoulder

I hesitate to look up

Yet, there is a kind woman who asks if I need assistance

She sits beside me and places her arm on my shoulder

She queries regarding my condition

I reveal all that has transpired

She nods and speaks to me in a very calming voice

 

Her tone and manner relax me

She is a nurse whose husband died in this hospital

A few years ago

She can identify with my emotions

And is fully cognizant of the grieving process

I am too embarrassed to mention that my Henry

Is not indeed dead

I shall allow her to form her own conclusions

We sit for a moment in silence

Tears stain my face

She speaks some more reassuring words

And hands me her business card

She offers to help me into a taxi

I politely refuse

She places a kiss on my head and disappears

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

Thank you for reading!

Reviews

[An owl on the moon]

I felt the ache of loss in every line. The hospital room, the nurse, the quiet tears—it all lingers like a memory too heavy to forget. And one I can remember too well. What struck me most is the complexity: grief for a love still alive yet lost to memory. It’s heartbreaking and profoundly human.

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you so much for your understanding and critique of this piece...
Warmly, B

[DIVYA]

Dear Betty,
She's going through the very grief that comes with the actual death of a loved one. And indeed, its is a death in itself, her Henry is no longer himself but just a shell. It will be interesting to see how she navigates through this storm and if she comes out stronger as a woman facing such hardships alone. Will she ever get her old Henry back? Or is it a loss that's going to bleed like a permanent wound in her life? Yet, life does send help and support in troubled times, like that angel of a woman who appeared to soothe her. Another wonderful chapter, my friend. I look forward to more....

[Betty Hermelee]

Dear Divya
What an amazing review, truly cherished by me!!!
Yes, facing this alone is unbearable.... thank you my friend!
Warmly, B

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

Without grief you can not truly move on in a sane manner

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you so much for your insightful review!
Warmly, B

[Neha agrawal]

Hii dear Betty,
Once again, a truly wonderful write.
I’m not sure there are perfect words to console someone in such moments.
I’ve also lost loved ones and know the weight of that grief.
Every line of your poem carries that pain and sorrow so vividly.
it’s deeply moving.

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you Neha for an in-depth review, much appreciated!
Warmly, B

[Stella Armour]

we are assuming that Henry is a lost cause, but as i follow this story it is akin to a real happening that i was involved in and the young soldier in question although ended up severly epiletic did regain bits of memory from his past life with the help of specialist doctors in ptsd and brain damage.Apparently new channels form in the brain and can be nurtured so maybe there will be another turning point for this young couple.... ?

[Betty Hermelee]

Hi Stella, so nice to see your return.. you've been missed!!! And thank you for a lovely review; and We'll see what happens to this young lady and her fiancee.
Warmly, B

[Lorry]

There is no rule book on how to grieve and if there was it would probably be one of the few books I would be okay with burning.
Grief is physically unphphysical, yet the weight of it could crush mountains with ease.
Grief is a grown up finally being able to cry and say "I don't know what to do."
Grief is an Unbearable Weight we endure before it crushes us completely, yet we still live.
And grief is most importantly of all at least fourteen billion other things to everyone, all at once.
Griefs something that if it goes on too long, "experts" say becomes a mental illness. But to those that say that, I say they just haven't loved someone enough!

[Betty Hermelee]

Grief is unbearable, and is something to carry for a long time.... Thank you for your poignant review!
Warmly, B

[John the Baptist]

The young lady's story has reached an apparent boundary point. Now aware that her wounded boyfriend is dwelling in a state of amnesia from which he probably won't emerge, she realizes all the hopes for her future have vanished. Overcome by grief, she finds a chair, where she yields to overwhelming tearfulness. A nurse suddenly appears and offers comfort to her, which seems to provide relief. We can only hope she finds a path out of this darkness and is able to proceed with her life.

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you John for a fine review, much appreciated, and always for your support!
Warmly, B

[Vol]

Betty,
Sometimes I think, I ask... what are we doing? We're born from a dark womb into a kind of chaos we never properly come to terms with... we spend time, real time trying to understand, we read books WRITE books, even poems, but in the end there is no answer. The best we can hope for is to find a way to jump in with both feet like when you stop and pick a perfect wildflower, twirl its stem and make the purple petals spin and the yellow pollen to fly out... And really, that is enough.
Vol

[Betty Hermelee]

We are all going to die... it's just the circumstances around it, before it, etc....we don't know when...
Thank you for your very poetic review on life!
Warmly, B

[Buddhistboy73]

Grief....

A heartfelt poem about loss......it's slighty confusing in parts as the author says they don't know what to tell the nurse..

But aside from that,, this is a raw emotional write about losing someone close....

Thanks for sharing Betty..:)

BB73

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you much for that great review!.... she tells the nurse everything because the nurse knows what grieving is like....
Warmly, B

[Buddhistboy73]

Thanks Betty, I get it now...

BB73