Public Grief Poem by Roger Hudson

Arm folds round shoulders
A caring hug

Heads touch in sympathy

Right hand strokes

Gently

Up and down her back

Slowly
Draws away

Face sorrowful, sympathetic

A few words

Comforting
Consoling

Another friend or relation
Steps forward

In their ever-expanding corner of the bar lounge
They make their grief public
This extended family
From the nearby council estate

Embarrassed but curious
We try not to look
To speculate on what relationship
The deceased might have had
To whom
How sudden the death
What the cause

But they are impervious
In their collective grief
And the protective cocoon
Of ritual gestures and phrases