Grief is a Goddess  

Follow Grief  

into her cave.

Even in the dark, 

notice the arc of her cave,

how her amphora fill  

with stalactite drops.

Listen to their rain, 

how their falling echoes

in the pools of water,

how they long to brim.

Meet the ancestors here

in their place of dwelling.

Grief collects her tributes

in iridescent vases. 

All that she asks of you is to notice 

the droplets on your skin.

Absorb Grief’s caveats,

her admonitions.

All that she asks is quiet.

Witness.

Deborah Leipziger was born in Brazil and has lived and worked on several continents. She is an author, poet, and advisor in sustainability. Her poetry collection, Story & Bone, was published by Lily Poetry Review in 2023. Her work appears in several anthologies, including Tree Lines: 21st Century American Poems. Her poetry has been published in nine countries.