The Taste of Grief

It is not sweet, nor savory, nor flavorful;
It is cold. The kind of cold that causes brain freeze,
pain in your teeth and sinuses; and it is bitter,
like the pill you attempt to swallow without enough water
that begins to dissolve into bitterness in your mouth.

Don’t chew! It would be like chewing a mouthful of aspirin tablets
or a plate of those disgusting things some people eat on reality game shows.
Too gross and disgusting.
Try to swallow quickly and hope you don’t regurgitate,
as that would only make it worse.

Grief regurgitated. EEW
Regurgitate: to surge or rush back.
Yes, grief sometimes surges or rushes back at you.
We all have those moments, unexpected,
when the pain of grief comes rushing back.
We are ambushed by it.

Regurgitate also means to give back or repeat,
especially something not fully understood or assimilated:
to regurgitate the teacher’s lectures on the exam.
Ah, well…grief not fully understood or assimilated is regurgitated.

So, can that cold, bitter taste of grief recede
and not be so often regurgitated or be a frequent regurgitant?
I am hoping so as the new year begins.

1/2/11