Kenny Kookaburra's Broken Heart

Kenny Kookaburra closed his sad tired eyes,
They'd hidden so much, his clever disguise.
He pretended to be happy, and so full of spark,
Yet some of his feelings were still trapped in the cold dark.

His friends, Fergus the frog, and Gertie goanna didn't know,
He was still too afraid for his true feelings to show.
Instead, he smiled and simply laughed out loud,
All while living under the threat of an emotional dark cloud.

What had made him feel this way?
What things had happened, turning his life to shades of muted grey?
His life had always been full of sunshine and joy,
Now, he just felt like a confused feathered boy,

Losing his grandpa had broken his heart,
Shattering his life, tearing it wide apart.
Grandpa Ton had always been there for him,
They would often laugh, play games, fly around, hunt and sing.

He wanted to talk to his mum and dad,
But he felt he could not, as he knew they were both still sad.
He tried to speak to his Grandma Floss,
But dad said, "Son, give her space, she's feeling grief and loss".


Kenny didn't quite know what grief and loss' were,
All he knew was that Grandma Floss was still trapped in a blur.
She cried, she didn’t eat, and she just needed space,
Poor little Kenny's own emotions were all over the place.

He needed to talk about how he felt inside,
He could no longer pretend, no longer hide
So, gathering up the courage to speak to his dad,
He said, “Dad will I ever not feel this sad”.

"Dad, how do I get over losing Grandpa?"
"And how can I help my darling, Grandma?"
Kenny's dad Kevin smiled, hugged him tight,
And said, "sweet little boy things will be alright".

It takes time and patience to heal a broken heart,
But talking about our feelings is making the perfect start.
There is no right way or wrong way to feel your loss,
Just have a look at your mum, me and Grandma Floss.


We all feel it differently, each one is unique.
Some go all quiet, while others need to speak.
Kevin said, "you can always talk to your mum and me?'
Learning to honour your Grandpa through memory.


Don't be afraid to remember all the fun times you had.
It will help during times when you'll feel confused, angry and sad.
Grandpa Ton, would not want to be so broken-hearted,
He’d say ‘come on Kenny, your life’s just started”.

Kenny's dad told him "when those we love pass away",
'It's okay to feel angry, confused, sad, and grey".
He explained what grief was, and why we all felt so bad.
He also said things would get better, and that they all missed granddad.

Kenny's dad talked about an 'emotional rollercoaster.
About, "highs and lows and getting through it together".
Kenny felt better, he now understood,
The confusion, loss and sadness, felt just as it should.

He didn't feel so afraid anymore,
Opening his weary eyes he finally saw,
The promise of healing, of learning to survive,
In a world full of colour, even though Grandpa wasn't alive.

He smiled as he remembered grandpa's own special magic,
He realised he could, and would get over something so tragic.
He also realised that he felt just as he should.
And that he'd eventually feel better, if not even good.

His eyes didn't feel so heavy anymore,
He felt a little better than he had just before.
He promised himself that he'd speak to his friends,
Showing them his true feelings, and not just trying to pretend.

The one thing Kenny wanted desperately to do,
Was to tell his Grandma Floss, what he so desperately knew.
He hugged her gently, whispering in her ear,
"I love you so much Granny, I'm so thankful you're here".

Opening his beak, he let out a laugh,
As respect for his pop, his final epitaph.
As Kenny preened every bird feather,
He knew in his heart, his family would face the loss and grief together.