The Paddock Review

D Minor

 

 

If I could set my grief aside, 

I would write about the beauty of spring.  

Lilac crocus pushing through  

soil and straw while roses dance  

in March winds.  

 

I would construct metaphors 

of new life, green and symbolic.  

Bees and butterflies feasting 

on blooms heavy with pollen.  

 

I would not cry for the winter  

cold of loss, barren landscape, death  

of love. Not of love, but of my love.  

 

If I could clean my face of tears, 

I would sing of sun rays splayed  

out from dinosaur-shaped clouds 

and the crisp squawk of baby birds 

newly hatched on my back porch.  

 

I would not idly stare at the errant weeds 

spilling over once pristine garden edges  

nor think of how ashes become dirt 

to feed the cycle of life.  

 

If I could forget how I once loved, 

I would throw my arms open 

and laugh in the rain. 

…..

This poem is from the chapbook OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL LOSS by Shelley Jinks Johnson (Finishing Line Press), and can be found at https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/our-lady-of-perpetual-loss-by-shelley-jinks-johnson/

OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL LOSS is a meditative and lyrical collection of poems that explore the deep, often paradoxical journey of loss and the delicate process of rediscovering joy. Through intimate reflections, this collection guides the reader through the raw, unspoken spaces of sorrow—its weight, its silence, its unexpected beauty. But amid the pain, this collection also holds space for healing and renewal. As the poems unfold, they weave threads of hope, resilience, and the surprising moments of grace that emerge in the aftermath of heartbreak. There is a quiet celebration of the human ability to rebuild, to find laughter again, and to dance with the fleeting moments of light in the midst of shadow.