I leave the depths unplumbed
Fearful of its denizens
Unaware
All my fears
I carry on my shoulders
A smothering weight
Take a breath, my son
Take a breath
Sit with the present
What you fear
Is already past
Or has not come
That is all your dour spelunking
Will ever find
So long as you believe
The depths are darkness
Be not your mind
But mindful
Open your heart
For in its depths
Is always light
I listen
To those who tell me
How the world is
How the world is as it is
How disturbingly dark
Some of these worlds are
How maliciously cruel
And though I know this world exists
In their hearts and in their deeds
I know I have never set foot in such a world
When I was a child
There was always a hand
Within my reach
When I needed reassurance
Or wandered too close to peril
To share the warmth of a loving gesture
Be supportive to others
Defend the vulnerable
Love unconditionally…
In the absence
Recollections induce the bittersweet
With time, perhaps, becoming less bitter than sweet
Losses lightened
By the moments, words and images
We’ve captured
The joys once lived
Remain in our memories
And in our hearts
In the empty spaces
Something new, perhaps
Something new to love
As I grew more confident
In being vulnerable
I began to understand
The strength in vulnerability
You my pendant gem
Lay close
Upon my heart
Reminder of
The subtler art
Of love which is
The beauty known
Regardless of
What eyes can see
It sings to me
In silent depths
Awakens dreams
Within memories
Of possibility
An ever-present peace
