A Poem For Those Who Have Lost a Loved One

No One Really Dies
by Darlene Barriere

When a loved one passes, our whole world shatters.
We ask ourselves, why, and what really matters.
A friend, spouse or parent, sibling or son.
A daughter, an elder or wee little one.

Taken before we would consider is fair.
Taken from us someone deeply we care.
The loss that we feel is from being bereaved.
The loss that we feel is beyond belief.

Our pain leaves us drained and often on guard.
We ask, why does it have to be so damn hard.
Our time with them seemed so terribly brief.
And now we're left with unspeakable grief.

We remember and grieve what all they will miss.
That outing, that birthday, that special kiss.
All of the things that never will be.
All of the moments that we'll never see.

We think we're being punished, we're in some way bad.
Deserving of being so profoundly sad.
As if we've done something horribly wrong.
Forgetting the truth that we're unbelievably strong.

It wasn't our fault, we were not to blame.
We did nothing wrong, we carry no shame.
To believe otherwise is too great a cost.
To believe otherwise is to stay lost.

The love that we feel has put us at risk.
The emptiness now cannot be fixed.
But when we look at the loss in a different way.
Finding purpose in why they were taken away.

Their time on this earth was itself quite a feat.
They were here for a reason that is now complete.
We can't understand what we don't know.
Why our loved one had to go.

What's important now is to carry on your dreams.
Knowing they are with you, more than what it seems.
Your loved one will always be deep in your heart.
For the special time they were here, now apart.

We can honour our loved one and still move on.
In memory our loved one is not really gone.
For they will forever be a part of our lives.
Which means no one ever really dies.

They've transformed from human back to Source.
Their energy lives on in powerful force.
Remember them well but continue to thrive.
In a way that is loving and fully alive.

So today I light a candle of light.
A representation of all that is bright.
A candle honouring those left behind.
A candle of hope and love to remind.