The words in this poem are well penned.
There is a flow and smoothness in each sentence
but this last stanzas gave me shivers.

Perhaps
it was my refusal
to accept your departure
that I stumbled upon
the hidden stage
of grief...

Death

for I knew
that when you had died
there was nothing left for me
to live for

-------- Its really tough to lose someone dear, and even tougher to accept that they are gone. Everyday we might wake up thinking that we will see them and we look for them but we can only find their belongings and reality strikes but still there is a doubt because everything just seems like a nightmare and its heartbreaking.

I too received a jolt at the end. Better by far than many, many of the nihilistic pennings by sad, confused people. I hope this is yourself looking through another's experience rather than your own.
A lot of grief too is on the part of the griever. We all do it. I think this subject could be expanded perhaps in another poem. I like the way you write and so i task you! I will set myself to the task too and see what i can draw on.
Well done.

Wow this is powerful an deep with great sadness and written greatly and explained fully,,you can feel everything and paint a pixture to ur words,,excellent job I loved it and written with great truth I think 5/5

I hope that you aren't experiencing this and if you do I am deeply sorry.

I think that the title is well chosen because it tells the reader what topic your poem will deal with, yet it leaves space to speculate since you're refering to a "hidden stage", which you will obviously point out in your poem.

The fact that I've just recently started having to deal with grief made this poem so much more powerful with me and I can absolutely relate to your words. What I like about your poems is the fact that you always manage to write indepth poems that reach the readers heart, mainly because of the strong emotions, but even with your wording.

I thought it was quite interesting that you took the idea of the five stages of grief and used them as a way to start your poem, I am glad that you named them once more because I doubt I would have been able to put them all together.
The speaker admits that he/she has endured them too, but doesn't quite understand how that'd be possible if he/she didn't believe in that persons death yet. This is actually true, unless you've seen that person die it is tough to grasp the fact that they did, it does not feel realistic at all, especially since you've probably just talked to them yesterday.

I think that "death" as a hidden stage of grief does fit to some point because with a person dying, parts in you may die too though hopefully the memories and experiences shared with that person rather live on than die.
It'd be an awful circle if a stage of grief was death itself since grief is caused by death, if that grief caused another death than there'd be grief again and so on.

The only thing I'd recommend you to do would be to add some more punctuation, but that's not that essential because this poems shines because of other things.

I definately enjoyed this read and hope that it is "just" a poem after all.

Great minds think alike?

Oh my god, I'm so in love...

First - I never thought it would end that way.

Second - the only thing I don't like about this piece is its title, maybe it's a little bit long, and too descriptive.

Third - my interpretation:

I super like the opening, for when starting with 'they say' you'd totally entice the readers, be it something typical, a fact, a quote or even a proverb. Here, I think it's something typical.

But.. wait, the most thing I love about this fact is its UN-straightforwardness. I didn't know what those 5 stages meant at first, 'till I reached the end. That's why I adore that. I thought they were talking about something you invented poetically. But then I was totally blown away.

When someone dies, you pass through 5 stages, (I never counted them... you crafty woman!!):

1- Denial: you hear the news, but you refuse to accept that the person you were talking with last night, or in the morning or you were sitting across or just someone young... or even one of your best friends, family members.... is dead. dead? you just deny that. maybe smile unconsciously... or laugh: no way!

2- Anger:

Yeah, you become angry when someone you love departs forever. You even question your faith. Why did he/she die? why not someone else?

3- Bargaining:

Yes.. totally. We bargain over dead people. In one way it can be, why didn't you take my soul instead?

4- Depression:

When you realize that he/she is dead.. won't be around again, you enter into a phase of ultimate sadness and grief. I think this is the longest phase. Some people just cry and weep for 3 days, 1 week, a month, half a year, a year, three, 10 years... or maybe forever. It's really painful..

5- Acceptance

I think this phase is not a fact, for few people do not accept the fact of death even after 100 years! But those people are very few... I think it needs time to accept that bitter fact.

OMG Liz, all what I've tried to say is just written in this artistic poem of yours.

And here, you're saying that Acceptance phase for you is not there.

Brilliant, just brilliant.. and a front page winner, hopefully!

Wow wow wow and wow:) thats a really great perfect poem:) ofc 5/5

This brought back so many emotions, your poem is accurate on all levels. Written with wisdom
Excellent

As Mario Quintana said" a good poem reads the reader" and yours caught my eyes since the beginning because it could open up my heart and look inside it, touching the invisible chords of the past. Poetry has such a strange power over us when it presents your life in a very subtle way.

"They say
that in life
there are five stages
of grief;

Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression and
Acceptance"

Some say that there are 7 stages in a grief too:
1. Shock and Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Guilt
5. Depression/Grief
6. Reconstruction Of Our Lives
7. Acceptance
I wonder which one is the most difficult in your opinion but reconstruction and acceptance are the hardest for me because we have to swallow the new reality and start over again with empty hands as if life was a shadow of what it was before.

"Most of which I had endured
since you were taken
from me so suddenly

I kept wondering,
how I could grieve for you,
when I could not believe
you were gone"

This first impact is to deny. We tend to forget that fate whether we want or not controls us all the time, pulling the chair under us, making us puppets without our complicity. It is easier not to believe, we can't understand what we did to deserve that unfair moment. We choose not to believe, we deny what we have to face and swallow because it is very difficult to lose our comfort zone.

"Furious"

We all get furious when we realize we are powerless beings. I suppose anger is the only answer in our pockets when we have to face our losses and defeats. We get angry because we can't understand why God or the Gods couldn't protect us from the damage, harm, sadness and etc.

"I begged for the lord
to take me instead"

Since there is nothing to do, we try to bargain with God or Gods depending on what you believe in. In moments like those we perceive how small we are and how important religion or a belief is. Carl Jung used to say that religion is an indispensable spiritual support although he mythologizes it. It is a fact that we all turn to religion when all the other methods fail. Reality cannot give us the answers we need. So the supernatural ( if I can say so) is the only one open gate that rests. Besides bargaining gives us some hope that something may happen.

"I was lost and
in a dark place -
without you

Perhaps
it was my refusal
to accept your departure
that I stumbled upon
the hidden stage
of grief..."

Darkness is one of the best metaphors for depression. We can't see what is around us so we dive inside our minds, we are numb, unable to feel anything because the pain is deep. Losses always trigger depression and some other diseases. We are fragile beings no matter how hard we try to hide our pain and show we can control ourselves and move on. It is a stage of total paralysis in our lives. We don't know what to do and how to start. As you stated brilliantly, it is a hidden stage. We even lie to ourselves, hiding what we feel in this tragic moment and we lie to the others too, pretending to be strong when all we want is a hug or do our crying in the shower so that nobody would listen to our heart in pieces.

"Death

for I knew
that when you had died
there was nothing left for me
to live for"

Then we accept because life goes on although we no longer know whether we are alive or dead. This is the great secret in life: to rise from the wreckage, to grasp for air when there is no air left. Adrienne Rich wrote a poem called Diving into the Wreck.I read it many times and here is my favourite part and I want to share it with you:

"I came to explore the wreck.
The words are purposes.
The words are maps.
I came to see the damage that was done
and the treasures that prevail.
I stroke the beam of my lamp
slowly along the flank
of something more permanent
than fish or weed"

In the end Liz, some treasures prevail: the love given and received is what we carry for the rest of our lives.
Your poem touched me.I thank you for this good feeling inside.

This. Is. Beautiful.
I love it.
It describes the real story behind grief, not the texbook crap you hear about in school.

You resurrected all the emotions in me with this poem -reminds me of my own encounter with death on my doorstep. Excellent

This poem is amazing! So good

Lioness-

You have touched every heart that reads this precious, powerful, and emotional poem... I don't think there is anything that I can say that others above have not said....

I'm going to express to you only this:
When we write, it is our way of releasing the thoughts within... and it is a true gift when we can touch the reader... and help them as well...

thank you...

Wow this poem is amazing. It really speaks to the reader. Anyone who has lost someone close to them will relate to this.

This poem must have been so hard to write because it is so true. I can only praise you for writting such a deep piece.

What I liked most about this poem was that it was so raw and gripping.

I honestly have no cirtique to offer you. The only tip I could possibly give you is to keep up the good work.

This poem is excellent

5/5

/I kept wondering,
how I could grieve for you,
when I could not believe
you were gone

//
I loved these lines the most. Bacause it's so true. it makes the reader to ponder on the meaning.
It's tough to realize the loss of someone special. The truth dawns slowly but painfully.

/to accept your departure
that I stumbled upon
the hidden stage
of grief...

Death

// that's so touching ... though I strongly believe in movin on but I can understand how tragic it can be... the thoughts of death would definitely cross the mind.

beautiful ending.

Loss is an unfortunate part of life. I think this poem expresses that sadness and loss in a very tangible way. thanks for sharing