By Sam Yau
Let it cocoon you,
dissolve you
into an amorphous,
excruciating brew,
form imaginal discs
from which
you will emerge.
Spill your tears,
or it will immobilize you.
Let it speak,
or it will silence you.
Do not shun
front-row seats:
suffering
death
mortality.
Grief expands you.
Let grief embrace you,
let it unfurl
love and anger,
guilt and peace,
all at once.
Eclose—love’s permanence
shines through
grief’s exit.
Painting by Olena Zavakevych