Writing Beyond Despair

She was cleaning - there is always that to do - when she found, at the top of the closet,

his old silk vest.  She called me to look at it, unrolling it carefully like something live might fall out. 

. . .    from the poem, Black Silk by Tess Gallagher

Living with grief once it has entered in its irreversible way presents challenges for an upbeat writer.  How do we show a moment of grief to grasp its emotional tug and resist entanglement in despair?

Choose a piece of clothing.  Write about what is present to show what never leaves.  Stay in a buoyant mood to reveal the joy of recall.

Let something live fall out onto the page.