in the aftermath of grief

i feel wrung out

yet full

bereft

and yet whole

it is not bad

to be a paradox

to feel like a wave

and yet like a rock

dissolving yet steadfast

smooth but not soft

on the shore to be found

in the waves to be tossed

to know humanity is beauty

but it's hard to comprehend

how a life can somehow hold

a beginning, an end,

and a beginning again.