The Thing Is By Ellen Bass
I will keep this brief but I absolutely love this poem. I’ve read it probably 100 times by now and wrote it up on a sheet of paper and taped it up next to my bathroom mirror.
For me, this poem is a reminder of my grief and the struggles I’ve had with it. It’s also a reminder that I can and will keep going despite feeling overwhelmed and heavy from the weight of the grief.
When grief sits with you, it’s tropical heat
thickening the air, heavy as water
more fit for gills than lungs;
Anyone who has grieved or is grieving knows how appropriate these few lines are. It’s sometimes so difficult to describe an emotion in a physical way and this is probably the best description I’ve found for grief.
As someone who is generally fairly optimistic and excited about life, but has also had a massive loss in her life, this poem does a wonderful job capturing these two juxtaposed feelings.
My favorite portion of this poem are the last few lines about holding your life in your hands and learning to get up and try again, love again, feel again. To be quite honest, there have been many days in the past few years that have felt so heavy with grief that it was hard for me to physically get up and do anything. The last few lines of this poem give me a lot of hope and solidarity with all of the other people who have struggled through anything difficult.
This poem does a great job admitting the unbearable weight of grief while also being hopeful for the future and the optimism to keep going and try again when you are ready.
