5 Poems To Read If You’re Grieving

In these poems about grief, the intimate and the universal meet: the sharpness of absence, the weight of remembering, the surprising beauty that can still rise inside sorrow. Each piece offers a moment of clarity, a shift in perspective, or a quiet truth. Let the language lead you wherever you need to go.

1. What the Living Do (Marie Howe) - A letter poem documenting the small, ordinary acts of living after a loved one’s death.

   https://poets.org/poem/what-living-do

2. Greensickness (Laurel Chen) - An evocative piece showing that grief doesn’t end, and the courage it takes to keep living after loss.

   https://poets.org/poem/greensickness

3. Regret (Denise Low) - A tender poem about grief, and how often we wish we could have done things differently.

   https://poets.org/poem/regret-0

4. Elegy of Hands (Gbenga Adesina) - A vivid reflection of grief and acceptance of the death of the poet’s father.

   https://poets.org/poem/elegy-hands

5. Half Measures (Patrick James Errington) - A touching poem from the perspective of the death of a spouse.

   https://poets.org/poem/half-measures