under the magnolia

we grieve you (till the end, we do)

grief is not just the pain we feel for the dead but also 

the love for the ones that are lost, the lament of the living

we grieve with an apology 

to the ones who loved them, a gathering of lives touched by another 

we grieve with an adjustment to our schedules

scribbling out pen marks on calendars, listening to voicemails instead of calling 

we grieve with a laugh and a pause 

waiting for another to fill that momentary quiet, hearts bleeding a little again 

we grieve with a smile 

rising from our beds, a little lighter, a little brighter, just a bit

we grieve with a blessing 

lining the ground with flowers, telling them 

we remember you, we know you 

grief is not just pain, no 

it is a love, a hope, a remembrance

it is the knowing that the one we lost, was also loved

and till the end

we will grieve you, like we love you