Loss Poem by renato mascardo

grief is such a private moment
an intimacy of one
each loss is so unique
to try to console the other is to intrude
no man is an island except
in the gale winds of grief

sorrow can sensitize
kind words can deafen
a comforting embrace
becomes a tactile pain
surrounded by sympathy
one feels sieged
in the throes of sorrow

pain being solitary
struggles against doling
until it runs its course
one can only stand quietly and afar
bearing witness to the other’s
grief sorrow and pain//