Grief

When she asked how my father was,
She was suddenly very apologetic,
Horrified at what she'd done.

I brushed it aside.
For a second I'd forgotten too,
But there it was again,
Hot in my head
Swollen in my throat
The strange and unpleasant thought-
Unspeakable, and so often unspoken.

I thought it would get easier,
But grief becomes silent, and thus forgotten.
Until you hear their name
Hear a joke they'd love
See a dog fall over, something silly.
And you can't tell them.
Something's broken and now you can't tell them.