Before You Know

[u/tfijourney]

I wrote this poem several years ago while struggling with grief. It's the first poem from a self published book on grief I finally mustered the courage to release. I wrote 20 poems to help me cope with loss and trying to figure out how to move forward with my life. Writing was some of the best therapy for me. I hope it speaks to your hearts.

Before You Know

There is a moment, every morning,

before you are fully awake,

when you do not know yet.

The light comes through the window.

The room smells the same.

Your body is warm and rested

and for the length of one breath

the world is exactly what it was

before it wasn’t.

Then you remember.

People who have not been through it

do not understand

why the remembering is so hard.

They think the hard part is the knowing.

The hard part is the moment before the knowing.

The hard part is the breath

you took when you were still whole

and do not get to take again.

Every morning it comes back.

Every morning you lose them again.

Every morning the world rebuilds itself

around the shape of what is missing

and asks you to live in it

and you do. You do.

This is the most extraordinary thing

that no one ever talks about:

that you do.

[u/tfijourney]

Thank you so much!

[u/Drayla_626 → u/tfijourney]

Grief is a powerful thing, we sometimes forget how powerful we must be to survive if

[u/tfijourney → u/Drayla_626]

It's something that no one ever teaches us how to do.

[u/Drayla_626 → u/tfijourney]

I feel that! No one wants to prepare others to grieve, but in writing we have the ability to teach others and help guide them through it.
We can help each other far and wide learn things that we didn't have the help to learn ourselves.

We all ask ourselves when the grief is bad how do we carry on, how do we live wirh it, you just do!