All our tender

Photo by Konstantin Dyadyun on Unsplash

Tender

I believe underneath it all

We are so utterly tender

under the disconnection the rage

Extremism

Control

Traumas

Apathy

Underneath the blazing anger

The red hot vitriol

Underneath the abandonment and abuse

We are just so utterly

Painfully

Magnificently

Tender

We build those walls

To protect the tender

Walls of control and shame and guilt

Of division of hate

Of manipulation and lies

Of distance

So much distance

To protect the tender tender

Tender heart

The walls just keep building as we now need walls to keep out the walls from others

Higher and higher it goes

Drowning out the magical expanse of the outdoors

The sunlight

The beauty

The breathtaking neverending skies

We keep building

We think this is the way

We are so scared

Terrified

If someone were to hurt that tender

Tender part

Stab it

Wound it

Make it bleed

So of course we must

We must protect it

Until the costs become too high

The walls we built to protect

Become cages

they hold us back

They remove us from the magnificence

To be found on this earth

From the depth of human connection love joy holding

Being

What if we slowly

Very slowly and cautiously

Carefully

Dissolve parts of the wall

By allowing them to be heard seen acknowledged

And we let them go

Bit by tiny bit

When we feel ready

We let the light come in

We gaze at the magic surrounding us

Tiny droplets on blades of grass

A teardrop in a child's eye

The scent of newborn hair

A hug that warms your soul

Children splashing in puddles

Getting wet and wild

All the wonder all the beauty all the joy

Slowly slowly as we peel away those bricks that built that wall

To protect the tender

Slowly we can let the tender see the light

Feel the warmth

Touch the velvet

Because it's safe to do so

And perhaps the walls are there when needed

But maybe they are softer walls

Kinder walls

Gentler

as we slowly slowly we allow

For the tenders to touch