national grief quotient experiences exponential growth

by Sharon Denmark

Would it be with copper spoons unnestled, 

or a glass cup with red hash marks, the handle 

warming quickly in your hand, if we could 

measure grief? Or would it take rooms, whole house, 

grief seeping into the sheetrock, staining 

the ceiling, pushing against the windows?

I couldn’t close my eyes but they were already 

closed. I dreamt I was packing to move but 

I had just opened the last cardboard box 

and it was full of handwritten letters 

and I taped it shut again. We can read 

this long list of names out loud. Our voices 

would grow hoarse, whittled down to whimper 

and whisper. Choose your own tragedy.

There’s a long list to pick from. 

And there are names

no one has ever written down. 

Sharon Denmark is an artist and writer living in Virginia. She spends her days managing a hospice thrift shop, sorting through life’s leftovers. Her artwork can be seen at www.460arts.com.