Grief : A synopsis

When death arrives at your doorstep, he brings his stubborn mother-in-law , grief. She enters your house unannounced and stays for months, sometimes years. She settles in the corners of your mind, relentless and unforgiving. Your happiness becomes her captive, and your tears only amuse her. With a smirk, she tightens her hold on your heart. Happy days will be fleeting and borrowed. She will be waiting in the dark when you return. She will insist on longer days spent in bed, scowling when you smile and holding your fond memories hostage.

“Please leave me alone”, you’ll scream to no one. She is the worst company to keep.  Her relationship with you is more take than it is give. She will take and take and take some more, until your soul has been bled dry and your tears have laid permanent tracks on  your face. She is neither polite nor kind, always angry and demanding. She steals your joy, burglarizes your routine, and imprisons your soul. Yet deep down, you know she will eventually leave. She will tire of you, pack her bags, and go. But her footsteps will stretch across the expanse of your heart for decades. You may repave the road countless times, but her imprint will remain, unyielding and permanent.

But all is not lost. Grief forgets that time will eventually arrive at the same doorstep, armed with pitchfork and torches. Time will drive grief out of your home. She will arm herself with wood and hammers, mending the holes grief has left in your resolve. Time will rebuild you, piece by piece. And when time eventually departs, she will leave you with a final gift: nostalgia. This endless well of bittersweet recollections  will gently coax a smile from you, pulling at the corners of your mouth as you reminisce instead of simply remembering.