The Stages of Grief Series of Poetry; for those going through a breakup

Reflection/Denial

I love myself as I am
I love my self when I grow,
Sometimes I stress when I cram
Yet you support me that I know

No one can be complete all the time
Just look at how I wrote this rhyme
I want to help us become more brave
Not entrapped like a slave

I do wish for one request
Do not respond under duress
I want to know if I must go
It might leave me with some woe
but I am certain I am great
I can find another mate

Not right now for time to heal,
Just to make sure it is real
In my thoughts I can see
Us together and set free

I am responsible for my emotion
Please don’t carry a prenotion
I know you said you are confused
What I feel can be excused

But I want someone who is strong
To tell me when things go wrong
I do not blame a single person
For when my anxiety is sure to worsen

What I want is a straight reply
Not someone who tries to hide
There will always be some struggle
I believe that we can juggle

If you do not agree with me
I am willing to let things me
I do not like ambiguity
I want to know with acuity

I will proceed with my life
Regardless of times of strife

Stage 2: Anger aka Phoenix

It did not take much time
For me to arise from the ashes
From when you committed the crime
Now you don’t just bat your lashes

I don’t want a reply
I demand something more
Someone must apologize
For the burdens I bore

I grow stronger every day
Now I’m no longer a slave
Somehow someway
I became more brave

With or without you
It would not take long at all
It’s incredible but true
Because you dropped the ball

I thought I would cry at night
Without you in my life
Yet I have taken flight
After pulling out the knife

Resurrection is great…
Though, I thought it was fate

Stage 3: Bargaining

Feelings flying up and down
Smiles turn to a sudden frown
Time heals all wounds they say
But it feels different day to day

Some days my scars are deep
My heart ready to take a leap
Others I can barely care
Like the cuts dissolved in air

I choose to live the life I love
Granted from the stars above
Sometimes the world can be so cruel
Leaving me hanging like a fool

You are never coming back
Why am I even keeping track
My hope is that you’ll miss me
I can’t say I don’t agree

What am I bargaining for
When I know that I want more
I must value my own desire
Every offer does expire

Stages (should be depression)

Well stage four should be depression
but I feel I can skip this progression
I have so much that I care for
Keeping me grounded at my core

Heart break does not need all five
Maybe since we’ll both survive
All I wanted was for us to thrive
I have the will to stay alive

While I know it can be good
But I feel it is well understood
It’s a place that some may need
I just live the life I lead

Healing (aka Acceptance)

I lied in the previous stage
In heartache depression comes first
With the loss of self comes rage
Until it is at its worst

Fear and anxiety consume you
Unrecognizable to what is true
The heart broke before the knife
Because you did not have your life

You noticed the knife was hot
Cauterizing the broken spot
It was mending the heart
With pain at the start

Now the heart is healing
Again ready for feeling
Though I must be weary
Before I accept this theory

Now I choose to be me
Instead of trying to flee
I am grateful for the clarity
Thank you for the remedy

So I wrote these poems because I am going through a break up during quarantine. I vowed to myself that I would really reflect and work on myself and one of those ways I worked on myself was writing and journaling more. I used to do a lot of writing and I have been pretty absent because of school and potentially this relationship. I’m not going to lie I was the person who was dumped and if you all find this helpful for your stages of grief in a break up, leave a comment or something. I really enjoyed writing these despite the circumstances. They were fulfilling my emotional release and it was easier for me to cope and get over the breakup faster. I know I have not fully healed since there has not been enough time but writing helped me accelerate my sense of self and made me feel grateful for what the relationship was rather than resentful for its end and I hope to be like the Phoenix and arise from the ashes renewed and with a new sense of purpose. The poems are the true meaning of rebirth and I hope you enjoy them.

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!