{"id":186160,"date":"2021-07-12T12:00:35","date_gmt":"2021-07-12T11:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=186160"},"modified":"2021-06-18T05:47:21","modified_gmt":"2021-06-18T04:47:21","slug":"three-poems-on-grief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2021\/07\/three-poems-on-grief\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Poems on Grief"},"content":{"rendered":"

I Measure Every Grief I Meet (1862)<\/h3>\n

With narrow, probing, Eyes \u2014
\nI wonder if It weighs like Mine \u2014
\nOr has an Easier size.<\/p>\n

I wonder if They bore it long \u2014
\nOr did it just begin \u2014
\nI could not tell the Date of Mine \u2014
\nIt feels so old a pain \u2014<\/p>\n

I wonder if it hurts to live \u2014
\nAnd if They have to try \u2014
\nAnd whether \u2014 could They choose between \u2014
\nIt would not be \u2014 to die \u2014<\/p>\n

I note that Some \u2014 gone patient long \u2014
\nAt length, renew their smile \u2014
\nAn imitation of a Light
\nThat has so little Oil \u2014<\/p>\n

I wonder if when Years have piled \u2014
\nSome Thousands \u2014 on the Harm \u2014
\nThat hurt them early \u2014 such a lapse
\nCould give them any Balm \u2014<\/p>\n

Or would they go on aching still
\nThrough Centuries of Nerve \u2014
\nEnlightened to a larger Pain \u2013
\nIn Contrast with the Love \u2014<\/p>\n

The Grieved \u2014 are many \u2014 I am told \u2014
\nThere is the various Cause \u2014
\nDeath \u2014 is but one \u2014 and comes but once \u2014
\nAnd only nails the eyes \u2014<\/p>\n

There\u2019s Grief of Want \u2014 and Grief of Cold \u2014
\nA sort they call \u201cDespair\u201d \u2014
\nThere\u2019s Banishment from native Eyes \u2014
\nIn sight of Native Air \u2014<\/p>\n

And though I may not guess the kind \u2014
\nCorrectly \u2014 yet to me
\nA piercing Comfort it affords
\nIn passing Calvary \u2014<\/p>\n

To note the fashions \u2014 of the Cross \u2014
\nAnd how they\u2019re mostly worn \u2014
\nStill fascinated to presume
\nThat Some \u2014 are like My Own \u2014<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

The Looking Back on Grief (1862)<\/h3>\n

\u2018Tis good \u2014 the looking back on Grief \u2014
\nTo re-endure a Day \u2014
\nWe thought the Mighty Funeral \u2014
\nOf All Conceived Joy \u2014<\/p>\n

To recollect how Busy Grass
\nDid meddle \u2014 one by one \u2014
\nTill all the Grief with Summer \u2014 waved
\nAnd none could see the stone.<\/p>\n

And though the Woe you have Today
\nBe larger \u2014 As the Sea
\nExceeds its Unremembered Drop \u2014
\nThey\u2019re Water \u2014 equally \u2014<\/p>\n

*********************************************<\/p>\n

Grief Is a Mouse (1863)<\/h3>\n

And chooses Wainscot in the Breast
\nFor His Shy House \u2014
\nAnd baffles quest \u2014<\/p>\n

Grief is a Thief \u2014 quick startled \u2014
\nPricks His Ear \u2014 report to hear
\nOf that Vast Dark \u2014
\nThat swept His Being \u2014 back \u2014<\/p>\n

Grief is a Juggler \u2014 boldest at the Play \u2014
\nLest if He flinch \u2014 the eye that way
\nPounce on His Bruises \u2014 One \u2014 say \u2014 or Three \u2014
\nGrief is a Gourmand \u2014 spare His luxury \u2014<\/p>\n

Best Grief is Tongueless \u2014 before He\u2019ll tell \u2014
\nBurn Him in the Public Square \u2014
\nHis Ashes \u2014 will
\nPossibly \u2014 if they refuse \u2014 How then know \u2014
\nSince a Rack couldn\u2019t coax a syllable \u2014 now.<\/p>\n

_________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts into a prominent family with strong ties to its community. <\/em>Wikipedia<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I Measure Every Grief I Meet (1862)
\nThe Looking Back on Grief (1862)
\nGrief Is a Mouse (1863)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":186161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[182],"tags":[605,868],"class_list":["post-186160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-poetry-format","tag-emotions","tag-poetry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186160"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186160\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/186161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}