I Do My Grieving in Private

I do my grieving in private
But publicly
Because it makes sense to me
I don't blink at a coffin
Or standing over a grave
As those around me gush
- and gush they should!
Loss cuts us all down
Right at the knees
And you realize you're
Falling and flailing
Beautifully unveiling
The Human Heart
In all its capacity.

I do my grieving in private
Away from the grieving
Away from the reeling
And when their feeling subsides,
I grieve.
I grieve on stage
In front of strangers
In words I sing
That weigh twenty-seven pounds
a-piece:


"But since it falls, unto my lot
That I should rise, and you should not
I'll gently rise, and I'll softly call
Goodnight, and joy be with you all"

Those are words from the deceased, to us.
Cloaked in love,
Weighing the words down.
It's not just some
Drinking Song
That I gloss over
Or you should gloss over
This is the most beautiful song
You could sing!
To proclaim!
A message from beyond
To live well
To live full
To embody Life
At its fullest.
To never stop moving forward.

Those who fall beside us
Become light as a feather
And we neatly fold them,
Place them in our jacket pocket,
And take the next step forward.
We have all these fallen relatives
Gathered 'Round
Cheering for us
One in God
One in the True Life Force
And they are literally
Incapable
of anything
Except Positivity
And Purest Love.
So we weep, we mourn
We grieve in public
Or private (like the author)
And all the while,
Those folded people in our pockets
Ring out:

"Goodnight, and joy be with you all!"