Tenderness

Within the Stillness of My Self

There was a continuous movement within the stillness of my true Self. It was the softening of all parts of me that had felt separate and lost in repetitive cycles of emotional pain.

I had reached the place of enough is enough and decided to find my way to tenderness. Tenderness came out of the realization I was reliving the exact same old pain I had vowed to never feel again. It came out of the last bit of gathered strength to try one more time to hold and honor it instead.

Quieting

A Gentler Me

For a while,

I looked to the

outer world for

something that would

offer an answer

or mend the whole

in my heart.

But this journey

had a way of

softening the healer

in me,

little by little —

until the purity

of her love

could no longer be

denied —

until there were

no more holes

in my heart

to be filled.

And life began

to reflect a truer,

gentler me.

Quieting

Gently

It began as

a hint of self-love,

a quiet prayer

passed gently

by one or two

who dared

to risk dwelling

in unexplored places

within the heart.

It continued on

as compassion —

carried carefully

by those who had

discovered,

in their own way,

the pain

and beauty

in holding

a separate perspective

and set of original

experiences

that couldn’t be

shared,

not really —

and the tenderness

in reaching

from this place.