Poem: You left everything behind
by Paul Daly

Shorty after I had begun to learn Focusing, Trisha, my beautiful wife of 30 years, died. Heartbroken, I wondered if Focusing would be able to help me on my grief journey. I had never realised before how physical grief is. Through Focusing I became aware that my body registered my loss as much as my heart and mind. Focusing gave me clarity about what I was going through. I realised that in a very special and beautiful way my body carried my sense of Trisha, that she was alive in me. But I longed for her to be alive in herself. That is the origin of my poem.

You left everything behind

You left everything behind:
the taste of your kiss,
the gentle squeeze of your hand as it fitted in mine like a warm glove,
the leap in my heart when you looked at me.

My body remembers you, Trisha,
my shoulders ache for one of your hugs
my arms tingle to be wrapped around you,
my ears miss the sound of your sweet voice,
your smell lingers in my nostrils.

You are alive in me, my love.
But I want you alive in you.