Referred Pain

Of course

I didn't know her

never even heard her music

live

Maybe I laughed

at her impossible nails

and softness

before I knew

her many colors

But

as the world

began to feel darker

her light

finally

reached me

reading her life stories

hearing her wise words

the way her head would tilt

and her voice would

resonate

I do believe

This grief

I feel

We feel

holds so much more

than her loss

This grief is

every light

every kindness

we fear

passes with her

unless

it passes

to us

Dolly Parton August 25, 2026