Blessing for the Brokenhearted

Blessing for the Brokenhearted by Jan Richardson

Contributed by Diane McLeish

I’ve chosen to share Blessing for the Brokenhearted by Jan Richardson, because it’s a poem that speaks directly to something I deeply believe: that grief is not a problem to be solved, but a natural, human expression of love. Love for those who have died. Love for the life we shared with them. And love for all that changes or comes to an end.

When someone we love dies, the world shifts. And yet, we carry on. Poetry can help us find words for the things that feel unspeakable. The grief we must accept whether we want to or not. It gives voice to the ache of loss, and sometimes, like this poem, it offers a kind of gentle remedy for healing, a moment of recognition, of solace.

For those of us who have been brokenhearted, who know the pain of losing someone dear, this poem reminds us that our heart keeps on beating, somehow, we still go on loving. Because really, how could we not? Even in grief, love persists. And that, perhaps, is the quiet healing that poetry brings.