Grieving heart

There's an elephant in the room.
It is large and squatting, so it is hard to get around it.
Yet we squeeze by with, "How are you" and "I'm fine."
And a thousand other forms of trivial chatter.
We talk about the weather.
We talk about work.
We talk about everything -
except the elephant in the room.

There's an elephant in the room.
We all know it is there.
We are thinking about the elephant as we walk together.
It is constantly in our minds.
For you see, it is a very big elephant.
It has hurt us all.
But we do not talk about the elephant.
"Oh please say her name, please say "Barbara" again."

Please talk about this elephant.
For if we talk about her death,
Perhaps we can talk about her life?
May I say "Barbara" to you, and have you not look away.
For if I may not, then you are leaving me.
Alone.
In a room.
With an elephant.

-Terry Kettering