Separation

Dear Reader,

Loss is a verb: to experience the death of someone who taught you to love unconditionally; to negotiate flashbacks that come at the most inconvenient times – a song - a pair of shoes that she would have loved. Loss is a noun: snippets of conversation floating in your head; the ache that has taken up permanent residence in your body.

What can poetry do for this permanently altered state of mind? It has the capability of adding language to emotion and help you understand your sorrow. It can go deeper than the truth of a simple acknowledgement, such as “I am profoundly sad” or “This is harder than anything I have ever done in my life.”

W.S. Merwin’s poem “Separation” was reprinted in Poetry last month in tribute to his death. Finally, this explains what I am feeling.

Separation

Your absence has gone through me

Like thread through a needle.

Everything I do is stitched with its color.