Inside the Shell
Reach back in to where the frightened delicate needs are
Find a way to cajole them and comfort them
Offer little incentives for renewed trust

The world may be an oyster but the pearls
are gritty and slimy with cynicism and crust
We don't choose who or what our heart melts for
We don't choose how and when our heart will break
We only choose how to mend

Don't let the disappointments convince you to close up
Don't allow the hurters to be winners
A robust heart is one that has restitched after inconcievable loss

Empathy is not a dirty word no matter what the hearings may infer
Feeling to the point of acute understanding of the other
is heroic
Feeling for your own morass of emotional complexities and injurys,
wtiihout pity or resignation, is an act of personal revoloution
May the pain you have endured spur you to remove despair wherever you can
May your personal doubts fuel you to become the best you can be at whatever you choose
and to never let rejection be a jury of your soul

LOVE TENDERLY   JENNIFER