04/06/2026
Grief can sometimes feel like the unspoken presence in a room; the thing everyone knows is there, but no one quite knows how to talk about.
"The Elephant in the Room" is a powerful poem that captures the loneliness of loss when a loved one's name goes unmentioned and the healing that can begin when we dare to speak it.
For anyone who has ever wished others would simply say their loved one's name, this poem is for you 🩶
The Elephant in the Room
By Terry Kettering
"There’s an elephant in the room.
It is large and squatting,
so it is hard to get around it.
Yet we squeeze by with,
“How are you?” and, “I’m fine,”
and a thousand other forms of trivial chatter.
We talk about the weather;
we talk about work;
we talk about everything else;
except the elephant in the room.
There’s an elephant in the room.
We all know it is there.
We are thinking about the elephant
as we talk together.
It is constantly on our minds.
For, you see, it is a very big elephant.
It has hurt us all, but we do not talk about
the elephant in the room.
Oh, please, say her name.
Oh, please, say “Barbara” again.
Oh, please, let’s talk about
the elephant in the room.
For if we talk about her death,
perhaps we can talk about her life.
Can I say, “Barbara” to you
and not have you look away?
For if I cannot,
then you are leaving me alone
in a room; with an elephant".
Please Like & Share 🙏🏻
