EAGLE
Grief comes suddenly.
An eagle perched on my shoulder.
He is heavy and flaps his huge wings,
threatening to knock me off my feet.
Sometimes he does!
Leaving me lying there, bereft and weeping.
It's hard for me to get up, with his constantly clinging on.
I cannot reason and think.
Talons gouge causing searing pain.
I turn my head, he's there, blocking my vision.
All I see is grief, all I see is blurred by him,
a constant reminder of why he came.
There are others near me.
Each has their own eagle
Sometimes they comes too close, hurting me.
Then my grief comes second to theirs.
It's all too much to bear.
And yet - my eagle becomes a friend of sorts.
An ally who never lets me forget the loved one whose loss attracted him.
He is my sole comfort when none can understand how important
that person was, for whom I now mourn.
When the time comes for my eagle to leave, I fear I will forget my love.
Who will remind me of the loss?
I want to forget and be at peace and yet,
I want to remember;
always and forever.
My eagle watches me from afar, soaring high in the sky
Swooping and gliding in effortless circles above.
Most times I cannot see him; but my grief is there, out of sight.
From time to time, he comes near and I am in his shadow.
Heavy, I am leaden down by the force of his wing beats
Other times he is close enough to feel a feather brush my cheek.
A breeze disturbs me and I know my friend is near,
bringing back all those memories of my love again.
I laugh, I weep, I wonder, I mourn.
I console myself that my love is in my thoughts again.
My eagle brings it all back and I rejoice because
I know now that I will never forget.
When I need him, I will look again and search him out.
My grief, my eagle, my friend.
Alison Peterson