death is the wildfire
that rips through
the forest of our life
it scorches the ground
it chars the rocks
it engulfs the trees
death is the fire
that comes to consume
everything
~ but it can’t
because after the fire is gone
there is always a miracle waiting
under the ashes of what our lives
used to look like
~ and the miracle is called grief
grief is the slow motion
recovery
that follows the insatiable
fire of death
to grieve the
loss of our beloved
means that death
didn’t burn everything
our adoration and memories
of our beloved remain fully
intact underneath the soot
after death rages through
you see,
my love,
death may knock
down every tree
in our forest
but since
grief is the aching itch
of recovery that
we can feel stirring
beneath the scalded ground
it means that death
doesn’t get the last word
~ love does
love is the sapling
that comes after the
devastating fire
love is the grass pushing
up through the once barren
fire-licked woodland floor
love is relentless
and there is no element
in existence that can
ever destroy it
love is always working
it’s way back to us
no matter how hot
the wildfire blazed
grief is proof
that we didn’t
let death win
death wants us
to feel numb
~ to feel utter despair
but when we allow
ourselves to grieve
we keep the ashes
from hardening
grief is the fluttering
inside of us that
reminds the world
that although our
world has burned
down to the roots
that there is still
life within us
and if we can hold
on long enough
life will eventually start pouring
out of all of our smoldering wounds
ecologists say that sometimes
when forests burn down
they can explode into thousands
of wildflowers
they call it a “superbloom”
~ that’s what grief is
death may burn our world
but grief allows it to grow back
maybe it will never
look like it used to
~ and maybe that is totally okay
because maybe
just maybe
~ grief is meant to change us
grief is the superbloom
that comes after the inferno
