sitting still
sitting with the pain of the world
I stroke Syd’s flipper
pat his back
listen
while the ocean pours out of him
it doesn’t matter so much
where our brokenness lies
where the blows came from
how they were dealt
we most need
to sit with each other’s pain
bear witness to
the immense hurt
we sometimes cannot even name
and recollect
the strong resilient beings we are
able to knit our fractured selves
back together
sometimes with even
more abiding bonds
if only we can remove
our breastplates first
and be vulnerable
together
Mom says:
Being vulnerable together is a big ask for many who expend all their energy being guarded. Hopefully a positive of the pandemic will be enhanced respect for each other and a new definition of essential. We also need to acknowledge that everyone has wounds. The world is better for your sensitivity.