Poem: Growing Heart

Dear heart,

Take my tears

Drink them up

And cherish how they

Water you to grow

Bigger, stronger

What an honor for me to witness

The tree of the heart

Growing leaves of tenderness

With which to caress softly

For without the watering of teardrops

You’d whither up and turn to stone

Each sob loosens the soil of the soul

Each cry protects the bark from becoming rough

You grow into a single bamboo

Sturdy and smooth

And one day

You’ll be ready

To join the bamboo forest

Of all the other hearts

Nourished by their sorrow

Twining your roots

With a knowing sigh

You’ll show the new bamboo shoot

How to drink