Image of Grief

The image of grief in nature would probably be something that is withering away, such as a wilting flower, a sickly gazelle, or of something even simpler such as the clashing of two glaciers. Maybe not the glaciers, because it evokes a much more violent image - but perhaps, something like sand being blown away by the endless winds and forever lost in the evanescence of time. Something fading away, because our feelings of grief are usually associated with the loss of something, such as a dear family member or a beloved pet. When we lose things, something with a deep sentimental connection with us, with our hearts, we usually stamp that setting into our heads: something fading, something dying, etc.
In nature, when something dies, we automatically associate these feelings with the scene. When poets cleverly use these images to perturb these feelings, to stir up these emotions, they go beyond of directly transgressing with our feelings but instead violate them on a deeper level, which is to directly have ourselves call upon our own feelings of grief, sorrow, and misery with scenes that we have previously been conditioned to.
So, a fallen leaf, disappearing footsteps on the shores of a lonely beach, the drowning of an island, or the petrification of creatures (to me atleast) can call upon the image of grief.