in my dream I surrender to grief’s embrace
float face-down in an ocean of sorrow
my ancestors grip my shoulders
a steady, reassuring pressure
promising I am not alone
promising we do this together
promising they will not let me
be lost to the black depths
Only Fragments
Love Letters to the Tar Pit
Only Fragments 
🖤🖤🖤
I feel this so much. We just lost one of our cats on Sunday, making this the fourth year in a row that I lose someone close to me. But my dad (whom I lost in 2021) frequently puts his hand on my shoulder, the way he did when I first saw my grandfather in a casket years ago. They’re still with us.
I’m so sorry – loss after loss is hard to bear, no matter if they be human or animal. I feel my father with me often, though I know I haven’t let myself grieve him as much as I need to. It’s a lifelong process, which is both comforting and daunting I think!