A poem for these times
If you have a sensitive heart
I’m guessing your heart is
bruised these days –
maybe even broken.
It’s painful these days –
stories of degradation,
a culture slipped into
incivility.
Images of suffering
daily, constant,
overwhelming.
The earth itself cries out
with swirling winds, fire and water:
Don’t forget me.
What we took for granted:
decency, compassion,
right speech and right action
thrown against the wall.
Tears come easily and often.
Disengage for a bit to heal.
Listen to the cello, deep and resonant.
Follow your breath, the gift that sustains each moment we are alive.
Walk among the trees
Be with someone who loves easily.
Pray, meditate, knit and play.
Drink from the well.
Engage in small kindnesses.
Then, come back,
Re-enter the world that awaits your renewed energy.
Bring your broken heart
and walk forward.
R’ Jill Zimmerman
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