{"product_id":"i-wanted-to-grow-old-with-you-a-widows-first-year-of-grief-in-poetry-paperback-1","title":"I Wanted to Grow Old With You: A Widow's First Year of Grief in Poetry - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eKatherine Billings Palmer\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTen months after being diagnosed with small cell lung cancer, and four months after being pronounced in remission, Rick Palmer died unexpectedly as the result of a freak accident. His wife, Katherine, turned to writing to cope with her grief. \"I Wanted to Grow Old With You\" is a collection of poems from her first year of mourning. From the initial prose stream-of-consciousness musings to the transition to conventional poetry, each poem conveys the poignancy and pain resulting from the loss of the man she loved. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLosing a spouse is a unique circumstance that affects one's entire being, including disruption of daily habits and routines; loss of one's confidant, best friend, and sexual partner; coping with the pain of separation, and even the destruction of future plans, hopes, and dreams. These poems touch on many of these aspects of grieving, as well as grief triggers, and the different stages of grief. Each poem is evidence of the trials of becoming a widow or widower. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAnyone who has lost a loved one will find themselves in this collection. The author explains the inspiration for many of the poems in an introduction to the works, from the first crude expressions of grief to the later metered verse. \"I Wanted to Grow Old With You\" is a book for anyone, young or old, who has felt the pain of grief and separation following a loved one's death, and especially for the widow. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eI Wanted to Grow Old With You\u003cbr\u003eI wanted to grow old with you, \u003cbr\u003ebut fate had other plans.\u003cbr\u003eI vowed to love you until death\u003cbr\u003eas we stood holding hands. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWe pledged to be together\u003cbr\u003euntil our lives were through.\u003cbr\u003eI thought we'd spend the golden years ahead, \u003cbr\u003ejust me and you. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eI know you'd be here if you could, \u003cbr\u003eyou tried so hard to live.\u003cbr\u003eYou struggled to rise every day, \u003cbr\u003egave all you had to give. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIf love alone could save you, \u003cbr\u003eyou'd still be here with me.\u003cbr\u003eIf love alone could bring you back, \u003cbr\u003ehow lovely life would be. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut no one lives forever, \u003cbr\u003eso I go on alone.\u003cbr\u003eI'm finding my \"new normal,\"\u003cbr\u003eattempting to move on. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe silence now is deafening, \u003cbr\u003ethe empty bed brings tears\u003cbr\u003eI dream of you most every night;\u003cbr\u003eI hope I will for years. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eI look for signs that you're around, \u003cbr\u003eperhaps I've gone insane\u003cbr\u003eBut I miss you so desperately, \u003cbr\u003eI'll grasp at anything. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOur memories are all I have;\u003cbr\u003eI guess they'll have to do.\u003cbr\u003eI'm thankful for the years we had;\u003cbr\u003eso grateful I found you. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eI know that I am fortunate, \u003cbr\u003ethat some will never know\u003cbr\u003eA love like ours, the joy we shared, \u003cbr\u003ebefore you had to go. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eI miss your touch, your gentleness, \u003cbr\u003eyour laughter, and your care\u003cbr\u003eAnd now the pain at what I've lost\u003cbr\u003eis more than I can bear. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOur vows still echo in my head\u003cbr\u003efrom on our special day\u003cbr\u003eOur wedding song exactly voiced\u003cbr\u003ethe words we longed to say... \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eYou sang, \"Grow old along with me,\"\u003cbr\u003eYou said the best was yet to be.\u003cbr\u003eWe vowed til death that we'd be true\u003cbr\u003eI wanted to grow old with you.\u003cbr\u003e_____________________________________________\u003cbr\u003eKatherine Billings Palmer is a retired technical writer, currently a blogger, poet, and essayist from Garden City, Michigan. She has won several academic writing awards, including first place in the University of Michigan Dearborn Critical Essay Contest for her work about poet John Donne: \"'The Sun Rising': A Lover's Boast.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 2017, Katherine's husband, Rick, died of complications from small cell lung cancer. Since then, she has written a series of poems and essays about her struggles to cope with her grief. She is a guest blogger for the Hope for Widows Foundation and you can visit her at www.TheWritingWidow.com.\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 88\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.18 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 30, 2018\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52730404176179,"sku":"9781719942140","price":20.48,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/Kv46--nS2j9781719942140_45184172-2156-40e2-9661-3df0edaf0a48.webp?v=1763830609","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/products\/i-wanted-to-grow-old-with-you-a-widows-first-year-of-grief-in-poetry-paperback-1","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}