So many of us are grieving, for all kinds of losses, on so many levels. We’re all finding ways to adapt to a new normal in the midst of the ongoing pandemic, changing the way we interact, communicate, and offer support to each other as we grieve. 

Thea Wigglesworth has asked me to host, via my website, the final scene for a play she is directing, called I’m Leaving You My Feet, by Alex Dekker. Thea is a Stage Director and Choreographer at the University of Hawai’i, where she is an MFA Directing Candidate – 2021. She and her colleagues are adapting to these times by creating an original way for an audience to participate and experience a play in an online format.

The play examines the world of grief through the lens of social media. This work follows Jules through her online world as she mourns her dead friend. You can learn more about the play here: I’m Leaving You My Feet by Alex Dekker

Soria Moria by Theodor Kittelsen (1881)

Alex Dekker, the playwright, adds:

// in the sense that it could ever be final, it is

// i don’t purport to understand peace — but —

// the

// there .. is

// *sigh*

// it is meant to be [[painful]]. it is built to be painful

// pain; it is em phasis

// itisth

// it is, is it the me.tr.ic for

// but

// look i know the fear i know our lashing out still still but

// in these small chunks i learn to own it

// can’t characterize it as *good* but you

// learn that it is not *good* or *bad* or *wrong* or *right* it just //is//

// learning not to resent it, this is how [i] have coped

// reminds me that you were a thing worth losing

// reminds me who we really were

// now because of that, i can stand up for you

i do not need peace with you but some days the pieces slide into place

***

This final scene of I’m Leaving You My Feet, in audio, can be accessed here:

Debbie Augenthaler

Debbie Augenthaler, LMHC, NCC, is an author and psychotherapist in private practice in New York City, where she specializes in trauma, grief and loss. Her award-winning book, You Are Not Alone: A Heartfelt Guide for Grief, Healing, and Hope combines her personal story of devastating loss with practical insights and simple suggestions for healing. Join her Facebook community, Grief to Gratitude, and follow her on Instagram.

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