This poem inspired me to consider all the things, from my recent and distant past, that buoy me. A kiss on the forehead from my brother. Playtime with our family dog. The feel of the grass underneath bare feet and the tree’s bark against my palm. I hope this poem inspires you to consider all the things that buoy you, that you want to hold onto. Continue reading

This poem, titled "Hurricane," is an example, as all true poetry tends to be, of exploring an element of life with such clarity and finding cause to look inward. If we're mindful and willing, what happens around us can be a catalyst for self-understanding. We learn that we see in the world what we carry in our hearts.

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This standalone verse you might've seen circling the internet: I have not heard your voice in years, but my heart has conversations with you every day. I call it Heart Conversations, an ode to the intimate dialogue that carries on after someone we love dies. I thought it time to revisit this poem and that conversation.

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Together, it's easier to make space for grief and for the love and joy that it stems from, which is the same love it inevitably returns to, if we allow that spaciousness. May these quotes about grief comfort you, validate what you feel, and bring a little more light to the holidays. You belong in the light, too.

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My favorite poems about grief do either one of two things: express my own experience in words in a way I never could or call on me to think differently about my experience. It’s a special thing when a poem can do both. Today I’m paying forward a beautiful grief poem written by Denise Levertov. May it call up your compassion the way it does for me.

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Over a decade after losing my brother to suicide, I still wonder “Why him?” and grieve for what could have been. We need to be allowed those times, too. We need to say “Let me be angry.” “Let me have this pain.” “Let me find my way through it.” We must be allowed to be real and human. There is always work to be done.

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“The word blessing evokes a sense of warmth and protection; it suggests that no life is alone or unreachable.” As this Irish poet shows us, a blessing for transitions (of many kinds) can hold us, guide us, and show us that we don't have to go it alone. We are meant to help and be helped along the way.

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The older I get, the more I feel that home is the place where your heart goes to rest. When you grieve the loss of someone you love, it can be hard to find that sense of home – because that someone you love was, in a way, your home. This grief poem is about rediscovering that sense of home again, right where you stand.

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This science poem is, oh, so beautiful, and that is a VERY big understatement. It's written by theoretical astrophysicist Katie Mack. She studies dark matter, the early universe, galaxy formation, black holes, cosmic strings, and the ultimate fate of the cosmos. This stunning poem of hers, titled Disorientation, is one of the best things I've ever read and listened to.

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What if life is actually everything happening all at once, not compartmentalized and controlled but fluid and full, each task wed to another, each sadness and delight related? This poem is about that sense of wonderment and appreciation. Being in awe of everything is a kind of therapy, an active participation in life.

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