Home
> Short Shorts > On Grief
On Grief
July 28, 2006
Think here of orange peel and cloves, boiled
against winter in November kitchens,
or the flutter square of a tea bag, or ellipsis
of deer scat, punctuation of a spooked animal.
Try to think–but a thought, cinder-
block certain, eludes in grief. Ideas
dissipate like twilight. Life is like a gut
punch, thought the breath
you cannot draw. Life like the vertigo
in the afterblur of a camera flash,
magnesium dreams ghost the cornea,
the pupil, crackle the optic nerve,
things long gone now insistent
half-images, always there
when you close your eyes
to wish them back.
Categories: Short Shorts
Gabriel Welsch
qarrtsiluni 
Exactly. “The breath you cannot draw.”
Thank you for this.
Dale, you took the word out of my mouth.
Exactly.
Fabulous, Gabriel.
Beautifully done.
Yes! I still clearly remember these feelings as I read these beautiful words. I love “orange peels and cloves” for a beginning.
Very accurately captured, but nothing ordinary about it at all in its accuracy. Thanks for beautifully explaining what its like, and I’m sorry you’ve had occasion to experience it.
Oh. yes.
“…Ideas
dissipate like twilight. Life is like a gut
punch, thought the breath…”
That says it all.
This is very nice. Good, fresh details.
You’ve captured the truth as I feel it. Thank you.
A tricky subject about which to say anything new with authority. This poem succeeds admirably.
wow – ‘magnesium dreams ghost the cornea’
fabulous, gabe
you write well of grief, i know those orange peels and cloves, the fluttering teabag waved against ‘winter.’
and i also really love – “deer scat, punctuation of a spooked animal”
Thanks, all of you, for the edifying comments. I am glad you enjoyed the poem.
Gabriel Welsch is an amazing poet (and writer as well). This is but one of his many stunning poems. If you all like this, I recommend his book, Dirt And All It’s Dense Labor, which I have linked to in my name. It will not disappoint. Congrats, Gabe.