After the End: Unwrapping Grief

My daughter died suddenly at age fifty-three of a brain hemorrhage. Before my daughter died, I had been grieving the fire that burned much of Lassen Volcanic National Park, a place I had backpacked into and birded for forty years. My daughter had been there with me; I scattered some of her ashes there. After the End is a walk through my desolate landscapes.

tires checked                                                                                                                                                        coolers, tents, flashlights                                                                                                                                       check, check, check                                                                                                                                                     and the box of ashes                                                                                                                                                  her last camping trip

in the photo                                                                                                                                                            chiaroscuro trees and shadows                                                                                                                                    trying to imagine                                                                                                                                                          shades of green                                                                                                                                                          before the fire

"After The End is a poetic lament, a meditation on loss, grief, sorrow, and the search for hope. Through tanka poems and tanka prose, David C. Rice focuses on the loss of his mother, his daughter's passing, the destruction of most of the Lassen Volcanic National Park during the Dixie Fire . . . and the looming climate crisis plaguing the world.

There is a sense of nostalgic fervor to these poetic narratives that adds to the rich and emotionally powerful themes . . . All in all, it was an inspiring read for me. If you're a poetry lover, I can't recommend this book highly enough."

Pikasho Deka, Readers' Favorite, 5-star review