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January 15th, 2026
by James Zhang
Honest or heartless? Innocent or insensitive? A family member has left, Yet no sorrow settles in me Her still form rests silently on sterile sheets her aged eyes closed, surrendered soft, sudden sobs swell, stifled sighs scatter arise from all, but me, how can I grieve or weep for someone who feels like a stranger? I notice my silence among the grieving they call it composure, even praise it How do I tell them no, it isn't composure, it isn't grief. It is distance. It is disconnection. How can a bond be built across borders, when our mouths cannot share words? Her face flickering only in cold digital pixels and I never felt the warmth of her arms Is it wrong to say I don't miss the person, the relationship we never had? They mourn the body, I mourn the absence of a bond
About the Poet
James Zhang resides in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada.
Read the poet's biography and Young Poets World publications
on James Zhang's Artist Page.
Young Poets Collection
This poem is also featured in
Young Poets Collection #1,
published in the Young Poets World Library.
Keywords: complex emotions, distance, mourning, grief
Previously published in Young Poets 16 to 18:
Echo of Shame
by Jessica Sibiya
Young Poets 16 to 18 is part of Young Poets World and waxpoetryart.com.
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