Dealing with grief

"Don’t worry,” my mom used to say to me,

 “There’s always plenty more fish in the sea,” 

Whenever I was distraught about 

 A betrayal, rejection, or loss. 

Of course that never takes into account 

The unique attributes of the fish that was lost 

Or the dwindling numbers of fish in the sea. 

But she, because of an early hard loss of her own, 

Was terrified of emotion, and so 

She chose to belittle, not honor, my feelings, 

Lest they trigger memories of her own. 

Perhaps that’s why so many of us 

Deal so poorly when faced with the grief of others: 

We’re simply attempting 

To protect our own hearts…