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ArtPoetry

Take Care of Yourself (A Poem About Grief)

by admin June 11, 2015
written by admin June 11, 2015

Ten years back,

I was falling into my first

bout of depression and unexplained sickness.

You were a good friend,

and you came home from college

and made me talk to you (when I wouldn’t talk to many).

I was so stiff, so tense,

and you sat beside me and gave me a back massage.

And you commented on how dry the skin on my back was,

because I never ever paid attention to myself or my body.

Not at that time.

“You need to take care of yourself, friend.”

You reprimanded me like a concerned mother

because you were often motherly with everyone around you.

“Take care of yourself.”

 

A few years later,

We were on the phone talking as usual

and you told me you had realized you were attracted to abuse

but you didn’t know why,

and neither of us could see that you were

already living in abuse at the time.

And I told you, “You need to take care of yourself, friend.”

Because I all too well knew the pull towards abuse

and how hard it is to fight the unhealthiness.

I urged you to go to counseling and to face

whatever danger was inside and outside.

“Take care of yourself.”

 

A few more years passed,

and neither of us had really learned the lesson

that taking care of oneself is vital to a whole life.

And then you were gone,

just like that,

your life snuffed out,

by darkness and abuse.

And I was a mess, and I only became worse

because I missed you so much, my friend.

I fell into the darkest moments of my life,

and I grieved that you had never taken care of yourself.

Because you were always so busy taking care of others

like the beautiful motherly spirit you were.

Oh, why didn’t you take care of yourself?

 

And just recently,

I made the important decision

to fight my illness once and for all.

I went to a doctor and started taking medication,

and I started eating healthy, drinking water, doing yoga–

listening to my heart, my mind, my body

and truly responding to the pains I felt inside.

And now, every time I put lotion on myself,

I think of your words so long ago,

when you were so concerned about the dryness of my skin.

“You need to take care of yourself, friend.”

You told me that day.

“Take care of yourself.”

 

I want to weep every time I think of that memory,

because we both failed at taking care of ourselves

for far too long,

but you paid the ultimate price.

And I, I am still living,

but I will take care of myself, now.

I will take of myself, friend.

I will take care of myself

and always remember you

and your loving, motherly words

that will speak healing into my mind forever.

Because taking care of yourself

is one of the most important things we can

do for ourselves, each other, and the world.

 

Photo by Adobe Stock/Kitja

abusedeathemotional healthillnessLyme's Diseasephysical healthpoempoetrysicknesstake care of yourself
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previous post
Why do people have to die? (A poem about grief)
next post
God Is Love (A Poem)

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I'm a writer, artist, yoga teacher, and healer dedicated to helping others find more joy and connection in their lives.

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