When the body is tired,
But the heart is still full.
The body may be ready now,
Ready to lie down,
Ready to be still,
Ready to stop caring the shape of the day,
And the heart might still be holding more,
More feeling,
More memory,
More tenderness than sleep can hurry long.
That is alright,
Not everything settles together,
Not everything softens at the same speed.
The body can grow quiet first,
Longs,
The heart can take longer,
It can remain full for a while,
It can stay tender,
And still,
Rest can begin long.
You do not need to empty your heart tonight.
You do not need to exclaim every feeling before sleep.
You do not need to turn tenderness into closure.
Some feelings stay a little longer,
Some ache stays warm a little longer,
Some lows,
Some sadness,
Some longing,
Do not leave just because the room is quiet,
Longs.
Let the body lie down anyway,
Let the shoulders release anyway,
Let the hands become still anyway,
Let the bed hold your tiredness even if the heart is still awake inside you,
Long.
So,
Full heart is not a failure to rest,
A tender chest is not a reason to keep going,
Feeling deeply does not mean you must remain standing inside yourself.
So,
Let the body soften first,
Let the forehead smooth,
Let the jaw loosen,
Let the breath become slower and easier,
Long,
And let the heart be exactly as it is,
Not fixed,
Not forced quiet,
Just gently held in the dark.
Maybe there is something still lingering there,
A memory,
A person,
A quiet ache,
A feeling that has not finished becoming soft yet,
Long.
You do not need to push it away,
You do not need to make it smaller,
You do not need to solve it before sleep arrives,
Long.
The body can rest while the heart catches up,
The body can be heavy while the heart stays luminous,
The body can sleep even while something inside remains gently full,
Long.
Let that be enough for tonight,
Let that be allowed,
Let that be safe,
Longs.
In this quiet room,
Your feelings do not need to disappear,
They only need a softer place to be,
A softer breath,
A softer hour,
A softer holding,
Longs.
So,
Let the bed take the weight from your body,
Let the night lower its hand over the day,
Let the heart keep its tenderness without asking the body to stay awake for it,
Long.
You can rest before everything inside you has finished,
You can sleep before every feeling has found its name,
You can be tired and still full,
Long.
And tonight,
That fullness does not have to leave for rest to begin,
Very longs.
