Grief Worn is an analysis of a grieving person. It is a psychiatric evaluation as well as a commentary on loss.
The story of Prophet Jeremiah of the Bible comes to mind here. It is as if Richmond, after listening to the writer of Lamentations, took a notepad and pen to narrate to casual observers the loneliness that loss brings.
In communities that promote individualism, life after losing a loved one is a difficult one to navigate. While others are outside having fun, the bereaved are inside feeding on memories and losing touch with the world which they once belonged.
Richmond does not just leave us a note on how not to look at the bereaved, they also show us how to approach them with comfort, in the unwritten lines of this poem.
A'bena & I try as much to retain the loneliness and sadness in this poem in both the Igbo and Twi languages.