Our guest turns heartache into verse
The path to healing from loss is a bumpy ride. The stages of grief are often filled with potholes, wrong turns, and much uncertainty. Losing someone you love hurts. You feel vulnerable and alone and need something to help you feel less alone. Our guest Gary Browe has written a poetry book on loss of all kinds and shared some of them in song.
In this Episode:
- 04:02 – Road Trip to Massachusetts, Inventions and Tollhouse Cookies
- 06:54 – Interview with Gary Browe – About Loss
- 19:07 – Gary Browe performs Butterflies (Town Grill)
- 23:46 – Gary Browe performs Trans-Am
- 27:24 – Do Elephants Mourn? from Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
- 30:46 – Outro
Our Guest Gary Browe
Our guest this week is Gary Browe, author of the book About Loss. The poems in About Loss are written in free verse. They are simple and direct, yet emotional and beautiful. Love is part of loss, and this book has many love poems as well as poems of heartache.
Gary performed a musical version of his poems, “Butterflies” (“Town Grill” in the book) and “Trans-Am.” Lyrics are below. You can hear it on his website here, and buy the whole album Watercolor.
Butterflies
I sit like a toad on a mushroom
‘cross the wall of kitchen things
Outside the wind-swept leaves
Harbour in the doorway
Till that witchin’ whirl puts them in a spell
And sends them off dancing
Like butterflies from Heaven
“Did you know my father?”
I asked the waitress
He used to come here sometimes
I know
He had blond hair
They called him Whitey
Oh Charlie she said
I’ve heard he's been sick
I’ve heard a lot about you
When you see him tell him
Irma said "Hello"
I don't know how to tell you
They called me on the phone
Didn't talk to him that night I know
And the sky was grey I felt so alone
Needed someone to hold my hand
She took my cup and she filled it
The hurt will pass you see in time
I saw your father about a month ago
In the bar next door
I heard him sing his favourite song
"Show Me the Way to Go Home"
Baby the Lord will help you carry on
I don't know how to tell you
They called me on the phone
Didn't talk to him that night I know
And the sky was grey I felt so alone
Needed someone to hold my hand
I sit like a toad on a mushroom
Cradling coffee like a lost friend
The autumn leaves wait in the doorway
For the witchin’ whirl
To put them in a spell
And send them off dancing
Like butterflies from Heaven
________________
All songs written and performed by Gary Browe
Copyright 2025, Gary Browe
All rights reserved
Used by permission
Gary was born in Detroit, Michigan and grew up in the tiny pocket of Southwest Detroit called the Vernor/Springwells district. He is a poet, singer, and songwriter and his book “About Loss” was released this May. You can find his book on Amazon Here.
About Loss does not pretend to have the answers. There are none.
The poems in About Loss are written in free verse. They are simple and direct, yet emotional and beautiful. Love is part of loss, and this book has many love poems as well as poems of heartache.
Your love was unique. Your loss is unique, too.
Do Elephants Mourn?
The excerpt Charlie read from Jodi Picoult’s book Leaving Time talked about research surrounding the phenomenon of elephants’ strong reactions to bones of another elephant. Listen to the full story for a sweet possibility.
You can see a video of a herd in Kenya reacting to a matriarch from a different group than their own.
Road trip to Massachusetts
Massachusetts is home to a rich history and lots of notable inventions, including Tupperware and the first Subway built in Boston. But the most important has to be the Tollhouse Cookie, invented in the 1709-origin Tollhouse Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts. The Original Toll House Cookie recipe is a must-try, perfect for a summer afternoon on the porch!
https://blog.feedspot.com/palliative_care_podcasts/
Everyone Dies: and yes, it is normal!
Everyone Dies (and yes, it is normal) is a story about a young boy named Jax who finds something special on the beach where he and his grandpa Pops are enjoying a wonderful day. Pops helps Jax understand that death is a normal part of life. This book provides an age appropriate, non-scary, comfortable way to introduce the important topic of mortality to a preschool child. Its simple explanation will last a lifetime. Autographed copies for sale at: www.everyonediesthebook.com. Also available at Amazon
Mourning Jewelry
We offer a way to memorialize your loved one or treasured pet with a piece of handmade jewelry. When people comment on it and the wearer can say for example “I received this when my mother died” which opens the conversation about this loss. All our jewelry is made with semi-precious stones and beads, vintage beads, and pearls. You can choose between earrings or bracelets and the color family. Learn More
