Sometimes, I startle

The feeling is like when you’ve realized
You’ve left the coffee pot on at home
But, instead, you can’t return home to fix it
Or call someone to remedy the the situation
There’s no remedy for the realization 
That you’re gone
 
I never have to go looking for grief
It finds me
It has tapped me on the shoulder 
 
I feel a strange emptiness 
Like I have a hole, or a wound
I’m aching and bleeding
And if I could find it 
I’d treat it
But each time I try
It moves to a different spot 
So I just have to bleed
 
I’m alive, and bleeding
And with each beating
Of my broken heart
Memories flood my mind
And are released as tears
 
The saline on my cheeks is healing
And over time
The salt makes the memories 
Sweeter
And I remember how you –
And now your memory 
Have blessed me
And I feel more ready to rise 
And do likewise
For others