Bitter Flesh

perhaps this 
is the path and purpose
to which you have truly called me
to know grief
of that which is lost
and can never be recovered
of hope unfulfilled
that lingers like a weed
with stubborn roots
so that I may be
companion and guide
in the nowhere land
of grief 
to aid those shocked and 
weary in finding paths 
through its trackless wilderness
bewildered by its many 
hills and valleys
to teach as one who knows well
that grief is the fruit
of love and longing
whether harvested by scythe
or simply left to wither
and that one who eats 
of its bitter flesh
sits in the presence 
of God