For The Grieving

Beloved, they will tell you
To turn away from sadness,
But I say: you can only move through it.

Just as rivers must be crossed
To reach a different shore -
So should you, beloved;
Take up the splintered paddle. Go.

Grief is strong, and like the river
Cuts men and mountains to the bone.
Grief and water will not tame;
It wears away the stubborn stone.

Let it carry you, beloved,
Let it take you where it may;
And though your journey is a lonely one
You’ve come so far, you must not stay.

Beloved, they will tell you
To veil the wounds and what you feel,
Not to look upon or touch;
That ugliness must be concealed,

But the lighted world, and joy,
loses depth without its shadows;
For water cuts, but also heals;
Runs deep, and white, but leads to shallows.