The feeling takes hold in my chest, a vast expanse of grief layered with dulled joy.

A pivot. A fresh start. A new beginning.

Our humanity loves to throttle past the pain in a rush to the positive.

But what if we sat here, still.

What if we stayed in the grief for just a moment. Let the expanse be what it is.

Wholly consuming. Holding sensations hostage.

A heaviness who’s weight consumes.

Maybe it’s only after we let the grief briefly engulf us that we can feel the unbridled joy.