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SevenPonds / Loss of Family Members & Friends Poems

Loss of Family Members & Friends Poems

Losing those closest to us creates unique patterns of grief. These poems understand those special bonds and help you process the complex emotions that come with losing family and friends.

“Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker"

By Ocean Vuong

So begins Ocean Vuong’s poem, “Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker.” In it, he catalogs the items his mother bo…

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“Abuelo”

By Gabriel Ramirez

In “Abuelo,” Afro-Caribbean poet, Gabriel Ramirez, mourns the complicated loss of his grandfather, who would not have em…

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"Why I Never Talk about My Mother"

By Joe Cilluffo

Joe Cilluffo’s poem “Why I Never Talk About My Mother” exists in the space of time between his father believing Cilluffo…

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"Sudden"

By Nick Flynn

With the first word of this poem, “If,” poet Nick Flynn situates us in a reflective space, already wondering how the dea…

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"Relentless"

By Ada Limón

Ada Limón sets the stage of “Relentless” by contrasting two different people in two different locations: There is the au…

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"First Morning"

By Joy Harjo

In “First Morning,” Poet Laureate Joy Harjo describes what it is like for people to wake up the next morning after losin…

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“Halley’s Comet”

By Stanley Kunitz

In “Halley’s Comet,” Stanley Kunitz – who was 95 when he became the 10th Poet Laureate of the United States in 2000 – re…

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“If I Carry My Father”

By Marjorie Saiser

In “If I Carry My Father,” Nebraskan poet Marjorie Saiser contemplates the parts of her father she hopes will live on in…

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"Diana and the Gorgon"

By Anis Mojgani

Anis Mojgani is a visual artist, writer and spoken-word performer who was named Oregon’s 10th poet laureate in 2020. Bor…

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"Perhaps the World Ends Here"

By Joy Harjo

Joy Harjo, three-time Poet Laureate of the United States, is part of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and lives in Tulsa, Okl…

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"Certified"

By Rachel Eliza Griffiths

In her book “Seeing the Body,” Rachel Eliza Griffiths navigates her grief over the death of her mother through a series …

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"My God, It's Full of Stars"

By

Tracy K. Smith, who served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2017 to 2019, wrote a brilliant poem called “My Go…

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"Charity"

By Kevin Young

Poet Kevin Young’s collection “Book of Hours” features poems about the death of his late father interspersed with poems …

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"On the Death of Anne Bronte"

By Charlotte Bronte

In England in the 1840s, one of the most revered literary families was the Bronte sisters, Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bront…

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"I'm Here"

By James P. Graham

“I’m Here” is a poem by James P. Graham. The author was just 17 when his mother died, and his little sister was 3. He wr…

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"My Dad's Hands"

By David Ketter

On June 18 of this year, the third Sunday of the month, the United States celebrated Father’s Day. Father’s Day was firs…

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"Memorial to D.C."

By Edna St. Vincent Millay

There is an old joke among writers that nobody likes to write but everybody likes to have written. Nothing could have be…

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"Daddy"

By Sylvia Plath

Anger is a natural part of the grieving process. In her poem “Daddy,” American poet Sylvia Plath expresses rage at her f…

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“Death Sets a Thing Significant"

By Emily Dickinson

Even if you’re not a huge fan of poetry, you’ve most likely heard of mid-19th century poet Emily Dickinson. Born in 1830…

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“A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal”

By William Wordsworth

How many lines does a poet need to write in order to record a loved one’s death? Of course, the story of a person’s deat…

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“After great pain, a formal feeling comes”

By Emily Dickinson

My post last week was about letting go of sorrows in order to be happy, and to fully appreciate the good experiences in …

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“Sonnet”

By Elizabeth Bishop

Is the end of life best imagined as a climactic release? Although not explicitly about death, Elizabeth Bishop’s poem “S…

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“The Barter”

By Carol Oates

In a recent post, I wrote about the influence of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s Five Stages of Grief; and while reading through…

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“Father”

By Ella Wheeler Wilcox

As we approach Father’s Day this Sunday, it becomes particularly important to make time for our fathers by sending them …

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“Cloud-Eye"

By Katherine Gallagher

I chose this week’s poem because I loved its mixture of imagery and metaphor. Its title alone, “Cloud-Eye,” foreshadows …

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“Epitaph on William Muir”

By Robert Burns

Written for a good friend of his, “Epitaph on William Muir,” byRobert Burns, is everything an epitaph should be: it conv…

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“Perfection Wasted”

By John Updike

Sometimes, there are obvious truths in life that, when pointed out, take on a whole new meaning. At least, that’s how I …

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“Mother to Son”

By Langston Hughes

This week, I’m taking a look at “Mother to Son,” by Langston Hughes. I love the poem’s message, which is about not givin…

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