Stages of Grief

In the quiet corners of the heart, Where shadows linger, dreams depart, The path of grief begins to wind, A journey through the fractured mind. **Denial** cloaks the soul in shrouds, A veil of fog amidst the clouds, A hollow echo, faint and thin, Where reality can’t enter in. In this place, the world seems still, The pain subdued, the heart is still, Yet somewhere deep, a tremor calls, A whisper through the echoing halls. **Anger** soon ignites the blaze, A furious storm through mournful days, An unrelenting, searing fire, That burns through hope and will’s desire. It lashes out, it seeks to find, A reason for the troubled mind, A target for the raging storm, A way to break the endless norm. Then comes the **bargaining**, a plea, For what was lost, for what could be, A dance with fate, a subtle twist, To change the past or clear the mist. Promises to mend the wrong, A hope that reason will prolong, The grasp of loss, the aching fear, In every whisper, every tear. **Depression** settles like a shroud, A silent, dark, encircling cloud, It drapes the spirit, heavy, still, A void where light and joy are nil. In this embrace, the heart may sink, The soul retreats, the thoughts may shrink, A hollow space where sorrow grows, And endless night in darkness flows. Yet from the depths of darkest night, Emerges **acceptance**, faint yet bright, A quiet peace amidst the pain, A gentle hope to start again. It’s not a cure or quick reprieve, But understanding to believe, That though the scars may still remain, The heart can heal from sorrow’s strain. Acceptance is a tender place, A space where one can still embrace The memories that never fade, The love that once and still pervades. It’s knowing that the journey’s end Is not a loss but a time to mend, A path where pain and healing blend, Where broken hearts can gently mend. So through these stages, one will tread, With tears and hope and words unsaid, Each step a chapter in the quest, To find a place where grief can rest. For in the depths of loss and pain, There lies a strength we can regain, A light that guides through darkened skies, And helps the spirit to arise.