ABSTRACT
In this chapter, Ester Holte Kofod makes a case for poetic and other artistic modes of inquiry as means to convey the existential and experiential dimensions of grief. Through a poetic representation of interview data from a study of bereaved parenthood, Kofod presents four inherently conflicting, yet often coexisting themes emerging from the interviews with bereaved parents: (1) presence in absence, (2) loneliness and consolation, (3) protest and acceptance, and (4) altered temporality. By presenting the themes in a poetic form, the chapter conveys how profound loss manifests itself as complex alterations of the mourner’s way of being in the world. By moving beyond academic and diagnostic categorizations of grief reactions and symptoms, Kofod argues that poetic and artistic articulations may open a space for shared recognition of the existential significance of grief. Thus, the chapter ends with an invitation to other professionals in the field of bereavement to engage with such modes of inquiry
