Your poem and this piece are so on target. Grief is an overwhelming experience for which there is no sell-by date. The loss creates a “hole in the universe” that will never be filled — tho some days you feel it less; other days you feel it more.

You and your readers might find this piece of mine: 20 True Things I Know About Living With Grief a helpful adjacent article.

Twenty True Things I Know About Living With Grief

One possible option instead of saying “I’m sorry” is ‘I know there are no words I can say that will make the pain go away, but let me help make your life easier in any way I can.” [See #s 15 and 16]