Poetry in Grief: Emily Dickinson

American poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) wrote almost 1800 poems over the course of her earthly life.  One that I find particularly appropriate in relation to dying and grief is one she wrote in 1860, supposedly for her younger cousins, Louise and Frances, in an effort to comfort them upon the death of their mother.  Her cousins were only 18 and 12 years old at the time.

"Mama Never Forgets Her Birds" by Emily Dickinson

Mama never forgets her birds,
Though in another tree —
She looks down just as often
And just as tenderly
As when her little mortal nest
With cunning care she wove —
If either of her sparrows fall,
She notices, above.