I honor
all parts and pieces
of a heart
that showed itself
to be strong
and vulnerable,
suffering
and whole —
all at once.
I honor them all
because they refused
to sink quietly
into the back corners
of a heart that was
rightly their own.
I honor them because
the journey
was too much
for any one part
alone —
because turning back
or becoming stuck
would have been
easier.
Still they continued on
through the unknown —
refusing to give up
hope
that their seemingly small
bodies and actions
could reach
and lead each other
to the truth —
however entangled
it had become.