When the Story is Unspeakable

On grief and your unexpected losses

“We push away what we can never understand

We push away the unimaginable”

– Lin-Manuel Miranda, “It’s Quiet Uptown” from Hamilton

I heard this song - “It’s Quiet Uptown” - years ago, before I saw the show live or even knew the story. When I first listened to the lyrics, really listened, I cried. It hit deep in my gut as it spoke a universal truth to me.

Angelica sings about Alexander Hamilton’s attempt to heal from the sudden violent death of his son and repair his relationship with his wife. He knows he failed her because of the short-sighted counsel he gave their son about dealing with an adversary, advice that resulted in a fatal duel that ended the young man’s life. The song is haunting in the way Angelica (Eliza’s sister) observes the couple from afar, and how the townspeople sing their choral echoes as they themselves watch from a distance.

The song perfectly encapsulates the isolation of healing from a trauma no one understands, nor wants to get close to. In this beautiful song, you…