The Widows' Handbook: Poetic Reflections on Grief and Survival

Contents

Contents Foreword Ruth Bader Ginsburg xvii Introduction Jacqueline Lapidus & Lise Menn xix Widows Jacqueline Lapidus  PART I: BEREFT, MOURNING Cross-Country Lines Jane Hayman 7 Afterword Jane Hayman 8 Vigil Patricia Wellingham-Jones 9 Falling Maureen Tolman Flannery  Threshold Ann Sinclair  Ironing at Dawn Cooper Gallegos  Widow Mother Lucia May 5 I Love the Vet Ruth S. Rothstein 6 Cemetery Haiku Ruth S. Rothstein 7 Is He Saved? Carolyn Stephens 8 Paradise Tess Gallagher 9 Wake Tess Gallagher 0 v The Idea of Skin Katherine J. Williams  Salvage Jessica de Koninck  The Golem Jessica de Koninck  Cindered P. C. Moorehead 5 Almost a Full Moon Christine Silverstein 6 Solving an Astronomy Problem Lise Menn 7 March Ninth Lise Menn 8 Natural Disaster Jacqueline Lapidus 9 What Happened After Jacqueline Lapidus 0 Widow’s Litany Rosalind Kaliden  Widow Laments at the Ice Gate Helen Ruggieri  Too Much Life Iris Litt 5 In the Rain Patricia L. Goodman 6 Valentine’s Day Anne Cairns Federlein 7 My Husband’s Bones Joanne Seltzer 9 Learn to Love the Trees Ann McGovern 0 Remorse Ellen Peckham  i am sure Carolyn Stephens  Bereaved Katharyn Howd Machan  This product is licensed to Liz and Paul von Transehe Elizabeth von Transehe 5 vi contents Boats Diana O’Hehir 6 Thirty Years Diana O’Hehir 8 The Widow of Few Tears Barbara L. Greenberg 50 Some Kind of Widow Bonnie Lovell 5 With friends like these… Jacqueline Lapidus 5 To My Well-Meaning Friend Ruth S. Rothstein 5 Ashes Kristine Shorey 55 The Widow Takes Delivery of His Ashes on Beacon Hill Gail Gilliland 57 don’t Seren Fargo 58 Refractory Carol Tufts 59 Counterpoise Carol Tufts 60 Cremains Carol Tufts 6 the sun holds no sway Elizabeth Page Roberts 6 How Could I Patricia Savage 6 Wonderland Gail Braune Comorat 65 Do You See What I See? Charlotte Cox 66 When one door closes “M” 68 Shoes brought me to this place “M” 69 Mourning Jacqueline Lapidus 7 Grief Becomes Me Donna Hilbert 7 contents vii Lesson Donna Hilbert 7 Secret Society Alison Keeler Carrillo 7 A Widow Learns Lenore McComas Coberly 77 PART II: MEMORIES, GHOSTS, DREAMS Memorial Day Christine Silverstein 8 Poignant Judy Bebelaar 8 Snapshot Barbara Bald 85 Memory Foam Pat Parnell 87 Flashback Phyllis Wax 88 Departing Patricia Savage 89 death anniversary Seren Fargo 9 spring cleaning Seren Fargo 9 Feeling the Hollowness in My Chest Marci Madary 9 I Want to Ask You Jessica de Koninck 9 Pillow Talk Jessica de Koninck 9 Come Saturday Morning Rebecca Schenck 95 Phantom Limb Laura Manuelidis 97 Chora Laura Manuelidis 98 Until Laura Manuelidis 00 January 007 Jacqueline Kudler 0 viii contents Old Woman Dreams Patricia Fargnoli 0 Who Will Not Be Home “Ariel” 0 Ghost Dream Donna Waidtlow 0 Waking the Dead Jill Jackson 06 Left Behind Barbara J. Collignon 07 Shaky All Day Patricia Wellingham-Jones 08 Circumflex Natasha Sajé 09 Bureau Holly Zeeb  Cold Tea Holly Zeeb  Receipt: /07/09 Holly Zeeb  Ghost of Prescott Park Barbara Bald 5 Somewhere Jane Hayman 7 Post-Mortem Jane Hayman 8 The Acropolis Diner Heather Candels 9 Memorial Candle Florence Grende  Those Days Mary Oliver  East Avenue Gulf Marilyn Bates  Gone Ann McGovern 5 The Weight Ann McGovern 6 Maybe You Are Here Ann McGovern 7 contents ix Literal Diana O’Hehir 8 Why Can’t I Dream About Him? Diana O’Hehir 0 Crazy Menu Tess Gallagher  Ring Tess Gallagher  Deaf Poem Tess Gallagher 6 Dream Doughnuts Tess Gallagher 8 Deshacer Donna Hilbert 0 The Wild Things T. J. Banks  Waking Marean Jordan  October 6, 99: Outside Saratoga Springs Sandra M. Gilbert  November 6, 99: Thanksgiving at the Sea Ranch, Contemplating Metempsychosis Sandra M. Gilbert 6 February , 99: Berkeley, Anniversary Waltz Again Sandra M. Gilbert 8 Apart Aline Soules 50 Ours Lenore McComas Coberly 5 As the Crow Flies Regina Murray Brault 5 Ghosts I Have Met Marianne Betterly 55 Honey Bees Marianne Betterly 57 Light bulbs Marianne Betterly 59 None, I think Lise Menn 6 x contents Alleyway Lise Menn 6 Loving with Sinatra Connie Fisher 6 I am prostrate, listening Elizabeth Page Roberts 6 PART III: COPING (MORE OR LESS) My universe has changed Phyllis Wax 69 No One Knows Elizabeth von Transehe 70 How are you...