Grief is overwhelming Odious and hungry Eliminating and endless Chaos guaranteed I hate grief And regrets Promises and pleas Because they deplete They eat and multiply Unworthiness like maggots It’s better to deny grief Brain space To erase sorrow Not to be giddy in its absence But to be stoic and strong Braced and brave…

I think of you as the wind rattles bare branches And snow crunches under my heels Each of my breaths are little deaths When an animal speaks, it is an owl, hooting Or coyotes howling While I exhale my expectations and joy Thinking of you is like tasting something burnt Or biting a lemon Like…