I am posting these poems today for some people close to me who have suddenly lost a longtime beloved friend. They are devastated. These losses rip through us, and how to find solace and meaning in it? In the case of “Loss Unveils the Masterpiece”, the creation of Michelangelo’s David is a metaphor for the beauty of our souls, chiseled to perfection over lifetimes by our loves lost.

These poems are dedicated to Peter Anthony Lubka. Thank you for the joy you gave to us in your time here, the lessons in your leaving, and may your soul now be dancing on the wind, on its way to the next adventure. We’ll be watching for you.

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Loss Unveils the Masterpiece

Michelangelo knew …

A most powerful
tool of the Master Sculptor,
Loss is.
It was the taking
away that unveiled
breathtaking David
to the world.

“I saw the angel
in the stone and
set him free.”
Inside every raw
slab of marble
a masterpiece waits
to be revealed.

We are all
magnificent works
of art in progress,
and losing a beloved
is perhaps the
greatest Master
chisel of all.

We gasp, clasping
our hearts when
our loved one dies
or leaves us.
How will we ever
risk to love again?
And yet, we do.

For in our loss
we learn to cherish
the value of love.
We understand
the power and
importance of “now”,
and we grow.

Love is the fine grit
that hones the
rough broken edges
to a polished glow.
The answer to our
growth lies within
the problem itself.

Michelangelo, you said
God guided your hand,
and in the taking away,
you revealed
astonishing beauty.
David is your work of love,
and a lesson for us all.

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Message in a Bottle

Chisel not my name
onto elegant stone,
so you that I love
might become slave
to a time and place
that no longer holds
my soul, to which you
could become tied,
lost in sorrow and
life’s limitations.

Rather, joyfully cast
my dust to the wind, so
I may dance on the breeze,
and one day as the leaves
rustle gently overhead,
you will feel me there,
riding a ray of sunshine
kissing your face, and
I’ll whisper in your ear,
“Remember to live free.”

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Eternal Rhythm

The golden leaves fall,
fearing not the decay of
a coming winter.

Death is essential
to the renewal of life –
All will spring again.

If each in nature
can feel this simple rhythm,
so can humans too.

Why do we resist?
Our fears overshadow the
truth of our being.

But the fall leaves know,
they show us that we too will
green the tree anew.

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All poems are excerpts from Soul Journey: The Poetry of Life. For this weekend I am offering this ebook free as a gift to readers of this post. Download here.

© Susan L Hart 2025 / SusanLHart.com