My grief is a lonely feeling

Though I’m not alone in grief,

Nor in my attempted healing

Absent imminent relief

But the grief itself is lonely

And it summons other friends:

Like the guilt of sometimes only

Wishing for a swifter end

For there are few things in nature

Crueler than a long decline

Than the gradual departure

Of the memory and mind

Grief and guilt I feel in essence

For what’s not been said or done.

I feel even in your presence,

Life without you has begun.