Tenderness To Love The Wounded Child

I ask for tenderness,

To love the wounded child within.

I am sorry I denied you for so long.

It has taken me years to accept the dark places you have been.

To bear up in the face of life,

I severed our connection.

For you were too heavy with pain,

And I too weak to carry you then.

I needed to adapt,

To survive,

To cope.

I needed to forget.

But now,

I am stronger.

I will give voice to all the silent tears you shed.

I will transform your wounds to love.

I will devote time to the protection of other vulnerable beings,

To ensure your suffering was not in vain.

I will calm you when a painful memory returns.

I will assure you you are safe again.

I will convince you that the unkind words told to you were not true,

And that you bore no responsibility for the things they did to you.

I will set you free.

Wounded child,

So sweet was your vision,

So full of love and hope.

You saw beyond the towering monoliths that dominate.

Help me delight in the world as you once did,

With your curious eyes,

Your playfulness,

Your untethered imagination,

Your heartfelt forgiveness.