My mother in the bardo she does not believe in
This poem imagines a mother in the liminal space between death and rebirth called "the bardo," described in some schools of Buddhism.
grief
Let Them Grieve
Grieving hurts, but not being allowed to grieve can kill, if not the body, then the soul. Julian of Norwich knew this well.
Beneath the Loss
"Beneath the loss, if we dwell with it and look at it long enough, I think we can often see that love remains."
The Scent of Grief
A pastor reflects on air fresheners and the National Guard at a protest in Brooklyn Center after Daunte Wright was killed by police.
Safe
Andrew Taylor-Troutman's new sonnet explores grief and the comfort received from what remains.
What it Means to Heal
"To heal / means to break open / apart / fragmented / lost in the chaos / until the quiet comes, the laughter..."
A Lament for Rachel Held Evans
It may seem strange to mourn someone you only engaged with on Twitter. But our lives on the internet are as real as other parts of life. Rachel mattered to me.
Beth Kissileff on Grieving After Tragedy
In this interview, short-term Resident Scholar Beth Kissileff describes her project on grieving and finding comfort after a traumatic event.
Not Today
"I am not an expert on suicidal thoughts. But they did move into my emotional neighborhood right after my daughter Aiyisha took her life in 2010."
Finding Words When We Have None
When her infant daughters were dying in the hospital, Laura Kelly Fanucci spoke Mary Oliver's poem "In Blackwater Woods" over them like a benediction.
