Shadows

My name is grief.

I have no form of my own, as none is needed. I seize the form of the host, upon invasion. Your form.

I have no spine, no structure to support. I will place my essence on your bones.

I have no eyes, no ears or nose, no need for senses. I will see through your eyes, hear through your ears, smell through your nose.

I have no voice of my own. I will use your voice.

I am an invisible mass. I will take your shape.

I am all pervasive. No one is immune to me. Wherever there is loss, there am I.

Since the beginning of time, I visit upon all and sundry. And will do so, until the end of time.

People fear me, as I am melancholy. No one desires sorrow.

People fear me, as I am formidable. No one desires powerlessness.

People fear me, as I am dark. No one desires shadows.

People fear me, as I am deep. No one desires abysses.

People fear me, for what I represent. I am the opposite of peace, of contentment, of all things good.

I remove the illusion that fate can be guarded against, that loss can be avoided. I am the reminder of all things grim. I am proof that there are no safe havens.

They do not understand.

For if I did not visit at the time of loss, you yourself would be lost. Your loss would destroy you, or trap you. Either one. No other choices available.

I, Grief, free you to seek solace in your time of woe.

People mistrust me. For, of all the emotions, I alone have the power to obliterate you and help you to live again.

People seek to constrain me, contain me, hide from me, escape from me. They fear that I will take control, my tentacles strangle. How I mock them.

They do not understand.

For if I did not find shape in your form, you would not find your voice. And your voice is necessary. When you allow the noun that is my name, to become a verb, a tiny seed of hope is planted. To do this, words are required, either spoken or unspoken.

Only through me, can you learn to live with the sorrow in your heart.

Do not fear me. For I, Grief, am your friend.