Grief

• Clare Taylor, Grade 12, Dickson College
• Poetry
• 2017

Finalist in the 'Write Here Write Now 2017' competition

Grief is a shapeshifter;
some days it is a candle on the edge of my vision,
other days it is the bushfire waiting to burn down my house.
Grief is the ghost that doesn’t know how to say goodbye.
Eventually it will fall out of love with my life
but for now, it has made a home of the hollow of my chest.
Grief is not an old friend nor enemy;
it is the knife that kills and defends,
so let the rain fall;
let your tears be a baptism and
let the salt wash life out of your skin.
But before everything, remember that energy never dies
but it is passed on as it dissipates
to the earth, to the sky, to you, to me.
And above all, remember that
Grief is the price we pay for love.