From a Pally

On Grief

I gave myself over to loneliness.
I gave my loneliness an empty basket for a present,
"Happy Birthday!" I said, just to be on the safe side,

(in case it was a holiday she was aware of that I wasn't).

Then I put cookies (baked myself) in my basket for loneliness.
Then I wrote words on notecards to put
in the basket that my loneliness owned.
Then I invited loneliness to sit down next to me on my
(yes) twin bed. Then I invited her to lay
her goddess shape on my shoulders.
Gave her a candy egg left over
from Easter. Gave her a stick
of sandalwood incense. Called her razzledazzled
dumbwaiter, always making surprise, then
empty. So then I puddled loneliness

into my rosetin of buttons, threaded her

through my heart's hiddentines.
The loneliness doesn't need anything to be. It is self-
regarding, self-guided, and all-inclusive,
like a resort--one I would never go to,
one I would never want to go to, unless
of course someone else paid my way.

-Helena Corder