The Shape of Absence

Grief changes everything. It rearranges our inner world, shifts the light in familiar rooms, and alters the rhythm of even the simplest routines.
In The Shape of Absence, poet Mira Lorne offers a poignant and deeply honest exploration of love after loss-what it means to keep living when someone you cherished is no longer there.
This collection of one hundred poems is not a manual for moving on, but a gentle companion for moving forward, with grief in one hand and hope in the other.
Divided into five thematic movements, the book begins with the shock of loss and the disorienting silence that follows. It moves through the haunting echoes of absence, the inner dialogue we continue with those we've lost, the regrets and unspoken tensions left behind, and finally, the slow rebuilding of a life touched by healing.
Each poem stands alone, yet together they trace an emotional arc-from devastation to tenderness, from brokenness to quiet resilience. Some poems speak in whispers. Others rage. All are written with clarity, compassion, and a profound respect for the complexity of grief.
Lorne's language is accessible yet lyrical, speaking to those who may not often read poetry but find themselves wordless in the face of loss. Her verses are deeply human-anchored in real, everyday moments: an empty chair, a forgotten voice message, the smell of a shirt tucked away in a drawer. Through these fragments, she shows how grief doesn't vanish-it integrates into who we become.
Whether your grief is fresh or decades old, The Shape of Absence offers space to feel, to remember, and to begin again. This is a book to return to on quiet nights, anniversaries, or days when memory feels especially loud. A book for anyone who has loved, lost, and dared to keep their heart open.