The Space You Left

Grief doesn’t follow a straight line. It circles back when we least expect it — in the quiet of a morning, in a shared laugh that reminds us of someone who’s no longer here, or in the sudden ache of a memory that once brought only joy. I wrote this poem after the unexpected passing of my beloved brother. It came from that raw place where sorrow and love meet — where the weight of loss is softened only by the tenderness of what we remember. I share it here in case your heart needs a companion on this path.

The Space You Left
by Suzie Conine

How sad to travel once again
This wretched path of grief—
How foolish, never once to think
That you could really leave.

Good times we shared, so cherished now,
Revealed as all too brief.
Your smile, your hugs, your corny jokes—
All memories, bittersweet.

As life goes on, my heart will mend,
And yet, a scar remains:
An empty space during happy times
That will always bear your name.

And when, for me, the curtain rends
And my life is no more,
I hope to see you smiling there
On some distant, sunny shore.