Personal Passages

by Roberta Ness

Processing through poetry

A warm diner welcome and a big mom hug to you. Glad I’ve not scared you away with all my practical advice. Personally, I’m feeling the need to take a deep breath and go back to something close to my heart – poetry (about death and grieving, of course).

I’ll admit, I’m a little shy about sharing something so personal. But I hope that a few of my writings may bring solace to others.

Losing David pushed me to the edge of a chasm that echoed with questions like, “How can I carry on in the face of grief? What is this all for? What is life about?” Rather than being pulled down into the depths, I started meditating and writing poetry. Today, I’m offering just a few of the musings that allowed me to walk away from the void. They can be read as a quartet of sorts, each with a similar rhythm. But each represents a different aspect of grief and longing. Hope you enjoy!

Afterlife

In winter,

My banana tree froze

So I supposed.