• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Widowed Village

Widowed Village

Created by widowed people for widowed people. We get you.

  • Volunteer
  • Values
  • Donate
  • Login
  • Join for free
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Created by widowed people for widowed people. We get you.

  • Shared Experiences
  • Regional Social Groups
  • Discussions
  • Newly Widowed
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Login
  • Join for free
  • Village Values
  • Volunteer
  • Donate

The Language of Loss: Poetry and Prose for Grieving and Celebrating the Love of Your Life

by Barbara Abercrombie

When Barbara Abercrombie’s husband died, she found the language of condolence irritating, no matter how well intended. “My husband had not gone to a better place as if he were off on a holiday. He had not passed like clouds overhead, nor was he my late husband as if he’d missed a train. I had not lost him as if I’d been careless, and for sure, none of it was for the best.” She yearned instead for words that acknowledged the reality of death, spoke about the sorrow and loneliness (and perhaps even guilt and anger), and might even point the way toward hope and healing. She found those words in the writings gathered here.

The Language of Loss is a book to dip into and read slowly, a collection of poems and prose to lead you through the phases of grief. The selections follow an arc that mirrors the path of many mourners — from abject loss and feeling unmoored, to glimmers of promise and possibility, through to gratitude for the love they knew. These writings, which express what often feels ineffable, will accompany those who grieve, offering understanding and solace.

Books

  • Book Library
    • All Books
    • Camp Widow Presenter Books
    • Psychoeducational Books
    • Peer Recommendations
    • Children’s Books (Pre-K to 5th Grade)
    • Middle School/High School Books

Book Search

Member Login

Forgot Password?
Not a Member? Join!

Footer

Quick Links

  • Discussions
  • Groups
  • Volunteer
  • Events
  • FAQs

SSI Network

  • Soaring Spirits International
  • Camp Widow
  • Resilience Center
  • Soaring Spirits Gala
  • Widow’s Voice Blog
  • Widowed Pen Pal Program
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Contact Info

Soaring Spirits International
2828 Cochran St. #194
Simi Valley, CA 93065

Email: contact@widowedvillage.org

Phone: 877-671-4071

Soaring Spirits International is a 501(c)3 Corporation EIN#: 38-3787893. Soaring Spirits International provides resources with no endorsement implied.

Copyright © 2025 Widowed Village. All Rights Reserved.