A Widow’s Words, Year Two: Grief, Reflection, Prose, Poetry, and Hope has been released in ebook format and is available on Amazon.

From the author of A Widow’s Words, comes the second book in the series of poetry and essays about grief. A Widow’s Words: Year Two explores coping with life as a widow following the first anniversary of a spouse’s death and how grief continues to impact the ability to move on and survive life alone.

A Widow’s Words, Year Two: Grief, Reflection, Prose, Poetry, and Hope is a selection of poems and essays that explore navigating life’s journey after the death of a spouse. The tasks have been completed, paperwork filed, and a new journey has begun. But the impact of grief is still powerful and affects most aspects of life.

A Widow’s Words, Year Two describes coping with grief triggers, re-socializing as a single person, handling stressors and emergencies alone, deciding when to remove the wedding ring, surviving holidays and birthdays, and the strenuous effort of attempting to adapt to life without one’s beloved spouse. The author also examines how it feels to continue grieving in a world that expects one to have already “moved on.”

From A Widow’s Words, Year Two:

LIFE IN YEAR TWO

I’m used to life without you
I’ve made all new routines
The quiet house seems normal now
My life’s gone on, it seems

I function out in public
Can hold my tears inside
No longer overcome with sobs
Seeking a place to hide

I’m used to traveling on my own
And tables set for one
And you not with me on the beach
To watch the setting sun

I live a single lifestyle
A woman on her own
No more joint decisions
I do it all alone

And, yes, I’ve coped with everything
The house and all the chores
My groceries get delivered
(I still hate going to stores)

A year since I’ve been with you
A year alone in bed
A year of conversations
Held only in my head

There’s no one here to kiss me
When I awake each day
It’s lonely on the weekends
Without you here to play

So, yes, I’ve gotten used to it
I’ve done it for a year
That doesn’t mean I like it
It’s dull without you here

I’m used to life without you
I’m used to life alone
And, oh, to have you back with me
I’d give all that I own