From the author of the Widow’s Words series, comes a book of poetry about coping with life in the years following the loss of a spouse. It contains 65 heartfelt poems written during the many stages of grief and survival after losing one’s partner. The poetry begins in first days after her husband's death and follows her journey for several years as she learns to maneuver life on her own. BENEATH THE SURFACE Beneath the surface, the pain waits For the waves of movement to stop For your flurry of activity to slow For the churning waters of your busy life to settle The life you were so proud of recreating from the ashes Beneath the surface, the pain waits For the quiet times, The peaceful times When life is lovely and your mind is still And you pause to think and remember Beneath the surface, the pain waits For the trigger The notes of a song The sight of a place you used to go together A glimpse of a photo The burst of a memory that shoots like a star into your mind And the lovely world you created Crumbles And Quakes And those peaceful times When you think perhaps you’ve made it through the storm Are revealed to be the lie that they are And the pain invades and overwhelms So you pull out the tissues and you grit your teeth And succumb to it for a little while He’s never coming back He’s never coming back And you pick up the pieces and start again You live You laugh You love You embrace the day Without him The fog lifts and life goes on But you know that beneath the surface, the pain waits And in the midst of all you’ve gained You’ll be reminded of all you’ve lost PRACTICAL MAGIC I wish I could work magic How amazing that would be I’d wave my wand and say Shazam! and bring you back to me I wish I was a sorceress with powers beyond time I’d travel back a dozen years to when I called you mine I wish I owned a spellbook with death-defying powers I’d use them to breathe life into the love that once was ours But I can’t practice magic I’ve no secrets from above I’m just a mortal woman yearning for the man I love ***A Grieving Heart: Poems of Love, Loss, and Healing for Widows and Widowers* is a compilation of poetry about working through grief and loss, overcoming obstacles, creating new goals, and pursuing a new plan for a future alone.**