Sharing One's Grief Poem by Ferdinand L Quintos

Think not I am writing for fame
about a friend’s beloved’s death,
I feel his loss to near self-same
but tuck it in my heart beneath

There are some men who pat his back
express their condolence profound,
in voices that seem near to crack
then banter with some friends around.

To cheer him up, of course, we ought,
lighten the grief weighing him down,
but all of this will come to naught
should we act like lost circus clown.

It matters not how short or long
to join the wake one will stay
among the kin and grieving throng,
but how respects one came to pay.

A loved one’s loss causes deep pain,
so one must move with due caution,
lest make the rites all flow in vain,
and deviate from the right notion.

© FLQ March 26,2014