Odin, you must be reading my mail!! "Sadness appreciates comfort’s effort".............yes, and thank you!!

Love ya!

Jane

My cat died 12 days ago from an inoperable illness. He died with dignity. We buried him in the back yard and marked his grave with a bowl of flowers. Two neighborhood cats who had never come around before kept appearing. Each time I chased them away. They persisted. Today I found out why. They were positioned on my cat's grave as if they had been brothers. They stayed there for about 2 hours. My sadness is lifted, and I have 2 new friends.

There is so much to cup into hands here, Odin. Firstly the idea that ‘sage’ is the wisdom of ‘offering’ comfort, but also the idea of ‘sage’ being the wisdom of ‘accepting,’ comfort, or even ‘asking’ for comfort. All of those ingredients belong in the recipe of healing. And you’ve captured both of these elements in your first stanza, the last line, “…share so many copings of focus.” The flashback of aroma of meal, chinchilla squeaks and ‘kind eyes,’ and past love, (unless all is no longer flashback), envelopes the goodness in reflective detail. If not flashback, then maybe today’s efforts of comfort offered, but not touchable, is a thankful return? There is a humbleness to the last three lines, the appreciation of any measure of ‘lessening the complicated sadness.’ This is a fertile reach into the compost of describing feelings, a beautiful ache of written expression. ~~ djl

A touching attempt to reduce grief, finely sculpted verse.