Artist Statement: This collection of poems is titled “When Grief Comes, Love Sings.” For anyone struggling with losing a loved one, these poems were written to help deal.
In Loving Memory of Ian Dell
Losing A Loved One
Hear author Dana Beattie’s commentary on the making of “Losing A Loved One.”
Losing a loved one is hell on Earth.
The first time you cry is hard.
It feels as if your soul has shatteredand so, you weep from the sadness thatcascades from its shards.
The first night is even harder.
You do nothing but lie in your bed,staring at the ceiling as your body iswracked by the pain of a thousandheartbreaks.
And so you cry until you no longer feelthe warmth of your tears soaking your cheeks,and even then, you heave dry sobs into thedarkness.
Months pass. You attend the funeral,speak at their burial and think you’vehealed.
Then one day, something small remindsyou of them, of their smile, of a memory youshared.
And you are back where you started.
But this time, you open your heart tothe pain. You don’t fight it.
Because you know, as long as you feelit, as long as you grieve the loss of theirlight, you honor them and the mark they lefton the world through way of your heart.
So this time, you take a pencil andopen your notebook. How better to honorthem than by keeping their memory alive?
And you hope, as you press the lead ofyour pencil to the blankness of your paper,that you can begin the process of healing.
And you hope, eventually, you willbecome okay with that.
– D.L.
Grief the Monster
Hear author Dana Beattie’s commentary on the making of “Grief the Monster.”
Grief is a monster that comes knockingwhen the world grows quiet.
It takes hold of your mind, digging itsinky claws into the soft crevices of yourdearest memories, wiping away the goldentinge of innocence and replacing it withblackened edges.
It drains the world of color, blurringthe lines of black and white until everythinglooks like an endless void of grey.
Your heart aches with pain from woundsthat freely flow, your soul tired fromscreaming:
I am here but not here.
And so you run from Grief, biding yourtime as your swallow the lumps in your throatand blink away the tears that collect in youreyes.
Food has no taste. Sleep is no longer arequirement. Love has all but dissipated,depression slowly seeping in as you tire ofrunning.
And so Grief sits beside you, quiet ashe takes your hand and whispers within thedeep recesses of your mind:
I will sit with you as long as you need,for I am love that hath no home.
– D.L.
A Note to the Grieving
Hear author Dana Beattie’s commentary on the making of “A Note to the Grieving.”
Losing a loved one is hell on Earth, butGrief is not the enemy. Grief is notsomething to push away or ignore. It willalways return, for Grief is love that hath nohome.
Celebrate that love. Remember that light.Allow the tears to fall as they may, forgiveyourself for being human, and love yourselfenough to begin to heal.
– D.L
Edited by Savvy Sleevar | ssleevar@themaneater.com