I've noticed how the grieving
Inure themselves to care -
An endless quest, a suffering,
And then a deep despair.

I, too, have known such grieving
And felt the need to bear
The depth of direst suffering,
Call it almost a desire.

And lest a faith - a knowledge -
Disturb us in our snare,
Bedecked with superstition,
Our ignorance seems fair.

Reluctant to relinquish
The agony we share,
Ourselves we strive to punish
And punish others more.

Adeline Foster

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/prolonged-sorrow/