Preface:
Ms. Carrie told me that I need to learn how to receive a hug because hugs are amazing. She determined that she would be my hug therapist. Years later, I am so glad that Ms. Carrie taught me how to hug. Because of her, I have had the opportunity to partake in many hugs which span the whole range of human emotion: A hug from my grandma who no longer remembered my name, but knew the sound of the piano. A hug from my husband for the excitement of a long awaited acceptance letter. A hug for a grief stricken friend, longing to hold a baby earthside. A hug from my mom, for the first time in six months.A hug for my brother when the world was too heavy to bear. A hug from a child because we sang their favorite song. Hugs are a uniting force, using limbs to bind bodies, minds, and spirits to each other.Â
Hugs Remembered:
So many hugs remembered
Both given and received
A burst of joy unbound
reaching to share in the arms of another
A word of encouragement
To bind a broken spirit
The memory of their touch lingers
a permanent mark on your soul
A ghost of what could have been
Haunting longing arms
The weight of a burden
Finally shouldered with another
One taste
That recalls love long lost
Hugs should be remembered
Both given and received
The weight of the world relinquished
Through the embrace of each other
Loved your post. I also had someone teach me to hug and will miss getting one from her. Thanks for sharing your story and poem. I love how you shared “the weight of the world relinquished.”