Friend, you are who taught me 

that a difficult life is not less 

worth living than a gentle one. 

Joy is just easier to carry than sorrow, 

and you could lift a city

from how long you’ve spent holding

what’s been nearly impossible to hold. 

But this world needs those who know

how to do that. Those who can find 

a tunnel with no light at the end 

of it and hold it up like a telescope 

to show that the darkness contains 

many truths that can bring the light 

to its knees. 

Grief astronomer, adjust the lens, 

look close, tell the world

what you see.

--Andrea Gibson