my friends who read self-help books

tell me there are stages of grief

a beginning.

a middle.

an end.

in some glossy women’s magazines

i learn grief will last half the time you experience it.

twitter posts from very zen folks

tell me grief ebbs and flows

like the ocean tide

my nonna told me that grief doesn’t exist

just don’t make mistakes you can’t fix

don’t get too close to

too many.