Table of Contents
Preface xvii
I Sweeping Up the Heart
The Bustle in a House Emily Dickinson 3
Even Music Dorianne Laux 4
From Because What Else Could I Do Martha Collins 5
Funeral Blues W. H. Auden 6
Time does not bring relief Edna St.Vincent Millay 7
From A Grief Observed C. S. Lewis 8
Husband Mary C. McCarthy 9
From for Jane Charles Bukowski 11
From Death Poem Kim Addonizio 12
Lemon and cedar Melissa Stein 13
The Role of Elegy Mary Jo Bang 14
Spell to Bring a Dead Husband Back Allison Joseph 16
From Levels of Life Julian Barnes 19
Rising Jacqueline Derner Tchakalian 20
From Mother Daughter Me Katie Hafner 21
From Grieving: A Love Story Ruth Coughlin 22
Refractory Carol Tufts 23
What It's Like Barbara Abercrombie 25
Sonnet 23 John Milton 27
After Her Death Mary Oliver 28
The Sadness of Clothes Emily Fragos 29
From Insomniac City Bill Hayes 30
Ovation Carol Muske-Dukes 31
From The Best Day the Worst Day Donald Hall 33
To Ashes Rose Styron 34
From A Severe Mercy Sheldon Vanauken 35
From Dark Thirty Barbara Ras 36
From The Widower's Notebook Jonathan Santlofer 37
Precision Laurie Duesing 38
From Poof! Aviva Layton 40
From And Thou Art Dead, as Young and Fair Lord Byron 41
From Against the Current Matt Bialer 43
The Year After Virginia Hamilton Adair 44
He Is Trying to Get Home from the Store, Susan Firer 45
From consummation of grief Charles Bukowski 47
From A Widow's First Five Years Barbara Lazear Ascher 48
From Grief Stephen Dobyns 49
Elegy for a Man and a. House Marjorie Maddox 50
Coats Jane Kenyon 51
Grief Without Fantasy Ronna Bloom 52
One Way or Another Naomi Shihab Nye 53
From Writing the Impossible Grief of Young Widowhood Kelsey Ronan 54
A Wife's Grief Because of Her Husband's Absence Confucius 56
From Standby Sandy Broyard 57
From I Dreamed of Africa Kuki Gallmann 58
Passing Is Temporary Allison Joseph 59
From Sixteenth Anniversary Tess Gallagher 61
From The Iceberg Marion Coutts 62
From The Pure Lover David Plante 63
II Going On After
From Rebus Jane Hirshfield 67
How It Will Happen, When Dorianne Laux 68
Wait Galway Kinnell 70
Dos Gardenias Alexis Rhone Fancher 71
One Art Elizabeth Bishop 73
From Pushing Through Rainer Maria Rilke 74
From The River Denise Emanuel Clemen 75
Blessing for the Brokenhearted Jan Richardson 76
Companion Jo McDougall 78
From Standby Sandy Broyard 79
Waking Instructions Emma Mellon 80
From Afterimage Carla Maiden 81
The Five Stages of Grief Linda Pastan 82
From Heaven's Coast Mark Doty 85
From Rooms Remembered Laure-Anne Bosselaar 86
In the Same Space C.P. Cavafy 87
From On My Own Diane Rehm 88
Naming Carol Lynne Knight 89
From The Carry Home Gary Ferguson 90
From Levels of Life Julian Barnes 91
From Between Lives Dorothea Tanning 92
I Am Writing This Blessing Jan Richardson 93
The Widow's Lament in Springtime William Carlos Williams 95
Summer Solstice Rose Styron 97
Desideria William Wordsworth 99
I Am Willing Elizabeth Gilbert 100
From A Severe Mercy Sheldon Vanauken 101
Long Distance II Tony Harrison 102
The Embrace Mark Doty 103
From Blue Peninsula Madge McKeithen 105
Talking to Grief Denise Levertov 106
From First Comes Love Marion Winik 107
The Well of Grief David Whyte 108
Saudade John Freeman 109
Separation W.S. Merwin 110
Absolutely Clear Hafiz 111
Benediction Stanley Kunitz 112
From Try to Praise the Mutilated World Adam Zagajewski 114
Work-Clothes Quilt Patrick Phillips 115
Trying to Raise the Dead Dorianne Laux 117
From Strange Paradise Grace Schulman 119
A letter to Grace Schulman Carol Muske-Dukes 120
In the Garden Thomas Lynch 121
From The Light of the World Elizabeth Alexander 123
From Redemption Song Kevin Young 124
From Levels of Life Julian Barnes 126
Gone / Away Henrik Nordbrandt 127
From Two-Part Invention Madeleine L'Engle 128
Vigil Phillis Levin 129
From No Longer Than a Sigh Anne Philipe 130
From Here If You Need Me Kate Braestrup 131
From A Grief Observed C. S. Lewis 132
From Nothing Was the Same Kay Redfield Jamison 133
Lost David Wagoner 134
Michiko Dead Jack Gilbert 135
Heavy Mary Oliver 136
III Turning
From M Train Patti Smith 141
The Window Rumi 142
From Sparrow Jan Richardson 143
A Different Sun Kolbein Falkeid 144
From Grace Diane Ackerman 145
Dream Paul Hostovsky 146
From Because What Else Could I Do Martha Collins 147
From The River Denise Emanuel Clemen 148
From Nothing Was the Same Kay Redfield Jamison 149
From For Daphne at Lone Lake John Haines 150
From The Year of Magical Thinking Joan Didion 151
From Washing the Elephant Barbara Ras 152
From Safekeeping Abigail Thomas 153
From Rooms Remembered Laure-Anne Bosselaar 154
From The Best of Us Joyce Maynard 155
Alone Jack Gilbert 156
From A Widow's Story Joyce Carol Oates 157
What the Living Do Marie Howe 158
From Geography of the Heart Fenton Johnson 160
The raising of lazarus Lucille Clifton 161
From A Change of Plan Roger Angell 162
From A Widow's First Five Years Barbara Lazear Ascher 163
Heaven Patrick Phillips 164
From The Carry Home Gary Ferguson 165
From To a Woman Now Dead Kotaro Takamura 166
Slice of Moon Kim Dower 167
Birdwings Rumi 169
Eagle Poem Joy Harjo 170
Yes Tess Gallagher 171
The temple bell stops Basho 172
Twice Blessed David Whyte 173
Love is a place E.E. Cummings 176
In Blackwater Woods Mary Oliver 177
Acknowledgments 179
Permission Acknowledgments 181
Endnotes 195
Index of Authors and Titles of Works 197
About the Editor 203
