This is not my grief.
Not my loss that filled the room and
brought all of these strangers together.
Not my sadness that swells
and crescendos and speaks
through the eyes of the affected.
I am silent, muted, powerless
in the face of so strong a sorrow
that I only share second hand and
cannot really comprehend. My meager words
would be paltry, my presence
seems a defamation, so I hide my face
and turn away from other people's grief.

Copyright © 2002 by Emily Spitler. All rights reserved.