in this circle of love
where everyone around the table understands
I am free to be my authentic self
as my shield comes down
the tears freely flow
an offering of my love
here
my grief mixes with yours
and we heal each other
your wisdom
and perspectives
astound me
each one of you
is so incredibly
brave
and in your eyes
I see my own
braveness, too
such a gift
your insights and
compassion
our hugs are tighter
with the common language
of loss
and the laughter is more real
because we know we must go on
alone, but not truly alone
I leave lighter each week
having laid down the weight of grief
at the foot of your empathy
I cannot imagine
how I would have endured this loss
without you
Jennifer Gurney lives in Colorado where she teaches, paints, writes and hikes. Her poetry is widely published, two of her poems have won international contests and one was turned into a choral piece. One of her poems was recently long listed for the Elizabeth Royal Patton Poetry Prize
