step one:
do not grow cold because
a loved one is now gone.
it does you no good, and in the end,
only bitter thoughts will grow
in a body that once loved.

step two:
get yourself outside
on the bad days, when the world
is drained of its lambent glow,
and scream until your toes hurt
and you know what being human is again.

step three:
eventually, holding on will be harder
than letting go - when it no longer
hurts to visit those old haunts,
but the memories are getting slippier,
it is time. You are ready.

step four:*
do not be afraid of this moment -
you still love them, you just have to do this.
Breathe. Relinquish your grip on them,
finger by finger. You will fall. And you will land;
your heart will flutter, and you will be free.