Poems by Liz Newman

Strength comes
In so many forms.
In giving people
Second chances,
In giving up
Painful habits.
In giving ourselves
And others
Life-changing love.
In giving energy
To fight for
The things that matter.
Strength comes
in so many forms.

Hearts are delicate
yet incredibly resilient.
They break and break open,
yet they beat
and brave the pain.
They’re filled
to overflowing
only to be poured out
day after day.
And yet, they remain.
They fight. and they remain.
You fight. And you remain.

Your love
Goes with me
Today and every day.

I feel it
When I’m listening
To the songs the trees make
Or the music we listened to
On sunny summer days.

I feel it
When I look at
Old photos of you.
I have your same eyes
And so much
Of the same outlook as you.

I feel it
When your old ring
Clangs against my heart,
Hanging from a chain
That I wear every day
And never take apart.

I feel it
When a familiar scent
Mixes with my memories
Of you,
The cologne on your clothes
And the way the smell
Shocks my senses anew.

I feel it
When I eat your
Favorite food,
Perch dinners
Or Payday candy bars,
All the things you were into.

I feel it everywhere
I feel it in everything.

It trickles into my days
In a million little ways.
Your love will never be lost,
It comforts and persists
And it stays.

Your love gives me strength.
Your love makes me brave.

Your love
Goes with me
Today and every day.

We all need
a safe space
to rest our tired feet
and set down
our weary hearts.
We all need
a friend who
welcomes us in
and reminds us that
we don’t have
to be perfect
to belong.

Letting go doesn’t
always look how you think it will.
Sometimes it happens all at once.
Sometimes it’s in phases.
Oftentimes it requires a few tries
and heartfelt goodbyes.
Even when it’s good for you,
letting go is hard on a heart.
But like the changing seasons,
we will learn to change too.
In time, in time,
In time…

We talk a lot about broken hearts.
But oh,
what about the aching ones?
The hearts that are healing
but can’t escape the visits of the
cold, sharp
pain gripping their core.
The hearts that appear
whole again
but still experience
the waves of hurt
crash against their soul’s door.