THE GRIEF
A grey crewneck sweatshirt worn on top of a light blue button up buttoned all the way up, on a brown skin person. Pinned to their chest are strips of beige fabric with writing in pink marker: “the root cause is deeper”, and then below that in green marker: “ceasefire,” and then below that in pink marker: “than you think.” Image by taisha paggett
The grief came knocking on my door again
I was too busy to answer
The grief tried to break my heart again
I ran away
scared of the pain
I forgot heartbreak lets light in
I kept running.
The grief tripped me.
I fell to my knees, bloodied.
It said to me tenderly, “I’m so sorry to hurt you but you needed to stop.”
Inside the tears I entered a vastness
I remembered I am part of everything.
In the blackness I saw myself as every being, every friend, enemy, victim and victimizer.
It wasn’t a metaphor.
Why would I commit more violence against anyone
knowing it’s really against myself?
I STOPPED.
May every broken heart
every fallen friend
every act of violence
Push us to stop
May every current tragedy be a prayer and fuel for more light.
None of it in vain
taisha reminded me that the root cause
is deeper than you think
CEASEFIRE.