How To Bury Grief Poem by Kyle Schlicher

This is the kind of poem the poet William Stafford calls a Necessary Poem. It's necessary because it tells the truth, the truth that all of us have to hear and understand, not just the citizen soldiers who experience war up close. You have to keep a close watch over your poem; you don't want some manipulative politician turning it into advertising tool for his reelection. I was struck by the thought of burying grief. along with a loved one, and it suddenly dawned on me, there is no hole big enough to do that. Then, I realized that is exactly the point of your poem.