The Anatomy of Loss

How do you grieve, my dear?
I tried to freeze the nerves,
to shutter every window
until the ache ran dry.

How do you grieve, my dear?
I turned the blade inward,
then outward -
wounding the very hands
that reached out to hold mine.

How do you grieve, my dear?
I let the memory of warmth go cold.
I unlearned the language of light
until I forgot that love
was ever a place I lived.

How do you grieve, my dear?
I am a riot of ghosts;
I dance, I howl, I laugh
until the sound turns into a scream
and the scream turns into a prayer.

How do you grieve, my dear?
I poisoned the garden to kill the weeds.
I tried to logic pain
only to find that grief
is the only thing left alive.