By: Emma O’Connor
“To Luc” was written with my friend, who had recently lost their father, in mind. It is mostly a letter to my past self, but also a letter to anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one; more specifically, lost a loved one to self-inflicted death. It briefly explains how the world will be and how life will progress as grief passes through.
You’ve had your world crumble beneath your feet.
For you, time stops, nothing feels real, and soon,
Things you once loved will now seem incomplete.
Blossoms can’t blossom, birds won’t sing in tune.
To not seek help or let the sadness show,
The choices made will seem to you unfair.
You’ll feel you are at fault somehow but know;
Life should have been worth living with you there.
The pain won’t shrink, nor cease, despite the size,
That space you hold your grief will grow with years.
You’ll laugh, you’ll love, and you’ll learn to disguise,
That gnawing ache that will bring you to tears.
Tomorrows will hold exhausted clichés.
So my promise is this; you’ll be okay.