Poem on Learning From Loss

Janis is a licensed professional counselor in Washington, DC. Areas of specialty include grief, loss, life transition, and trauma recovery.

Losing Someone Reminds Us of How Precious Life Can Be

The Pain of Loss Can Last for a Time

It seems that more often than not, we are forced to learn how to live with loss. Whether we had time to prepare or the loss was sudden, it can prove to be very painful. It can take much longer to get on with our lives than we anticipated. Many of us live for years with unresolved loss.

Learning to incorporate the reality of a loss into our lives takes time, patience and acceptance. We eventually come to realize that the void cannot be filled the same as it was before. But we arrive at a place within our souls where we understand that the void becomes a part of who we are and we learn to live with it.

We soon realize that we don't dwell on the void as often, the hard days of tears lessen with time, and we focus more on the memories. Acceptance and love are key to allowing us to move forward with our lives. The poem below speaks to different types of loss and how we eventually put them into perspective.

A Poem About Learning From Loss

"Collage"

No understanding of way back when

The loss of my tennis bracelet

The disappearance of my high school ring

The end of sweetheart love

For what is loss?

Painfully losing something cherished

It hurts to the core of the questioning soul

Leaving an emptiness unfulfilled

My collage of loss melds into longing

With jagged edges I try to piece together

The lessons of my life

The death of my brother

I tried then to make sense of it

Searching for the what and why

As I look within and up

Grasping for the real meaning

Today I value each experience

Without making cemented attachments

Because I know now

My collage forms a picture for me in time

Each still fits inside the frame

Giving me moments of reflection to cherish

Without a need for the tangible

To hold in my hand

The Sadness of Loss

Searching for the Lessons of Loss

Shedding Light on the Meaning of a Loss Takes Time

© 2013 Janis Leslie Evans

Comments

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on August 26, 2013:

Thank you, LadyFiddler, he certainly does. I appreciate your visit.

Joanna Chandler from On Planet Earth on August 26, 2013:

Very nice I am sorry about your loses but God knows best

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on July 09, 2013:

You're welcome, thank you for coming, glad you liked it.

Malik S Canty from Brooklyn, NY on July 09, 2013:

Thank you... There are some powerful images in this poetic piece.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on July 05, 2013:

Definitely, we are never the same after heavy loss, but we certainly grow from them. I appreciate your visit and comments, DDE.

Devika Primić from Dubrovnik, Croatia on July 05, 2013:

Accepting the loss of one or something is hard, and going through such times can change a person

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on June 26, 2013:

Thank you for that, LeahMia8911. I appreciate the visit and the generous comments.

LeahMia8911 on June 26, 2013:

Very beautiful hub! Something everyone can relate to yet catered by your own emotions. The pictures make it even mmore captivating

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on June 22, 2013:

I'm so glad you liked it, Veronicarain. Sorry for your loss. It takes time for the words to come, even the written word, when we lose someone. It took me a year and a half to write "Sudden Death" after losing my brother. I lost my mother in 2010 and still have not written anything. Expression of grief comes in its own time. Thank you for your visit. I look forward to the piece, whenever it comes.

Veronicarain from Cincinnati, Ohio on June 22, 2013:

Love this poem! I lost my mother 2 days before Christmas and I tried to write about loss but couldn't get it to shine, but the way you expressed in this piece was great. I am working on something special. When I am finished I hope you enjoy it as I have all of your work. Have a great day.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on May 19, 2013:

Hi Vickiw, good to see you. You've been busy lately with some great writing. Congrats on your Perspectives achievements. Thank you so much for visiting and reading this poem. It means a lot coming from an expert on loss and healing. :-)

Vickiw on May 19, 2013:

Sometimes it is very difficult to make sense of loss. But writing about it like this is helpful. Very nice work.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on May 19, 2013:

Aw bill, thanks so much for that. I appreciate your visit very much.

Bill Holland from Olympia, WA on May 19, 2013:

A poet must be able to reach into the pain of life and make it real with words...you have done that with this beautiful poem. You have a poet's heart for sure.

bill

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on May 19, 2013:

Thank you Faith Reaper, bless you for the votes and for sharing.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on May 19, 2013:

You're welcome, Mhatter99. Thank you for reading. I can feel how much you miss her everyday through your poignant work. A beautiful life indeed . . .

Faith Reaper from southern USA on May 19, 2013:

Very beautiful and insightful poem as to loss and the things and persons whom we cherish.

Voted up ++++ and sharing

God bless, Faith Reaper

Martin Kloess from San Francisco on May 19, 2013:

Thank you for your insight. We approach from different directions. Arlene died but what a life...

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on May 19, 2013:

Yes it is, thanks for taking the time to read it.

Jose Velasquez from Lodi, New Jersey on May 18, 2013:

It's amazing how these pieces keep building onto something complete, even when we think we might have it all figured out.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on May 18, 2013:

Thank you so much, snakeslane, for your comments. I'm so pleased that it touched you so. Thank you for reading and visiting me.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on May 18, 2013:

You're welcome, Renee. Thank you so much for reading it, feeling it, and living the message.

Verlie Burroughs from Canada on May 18, 2013:

janshares,

"For what is loss?

Painfully losing something cherished

It hurts to the core of the questioning soul

Leaving an emptiness unfulfilled..."

A hard lesson to learn, to move on without that cherished something...wise words, beautifully told. Regards, snakeslane

Renee Abbott from Arizona on May 18, 2013:

I loved this poem. Yes, I too have walked the words you have strung together to create your collage, but the final words woven made me nod. It is how I live today.

Thank you for weaving such a fine collage. A tapestry of words that I have held tightly within for along time.