Lessons Borne by Ties Established

On reading words from another
When the fondness is great
Yet ties not yet quite knotted fully
Empathy touches, presses
Pain brushes us before passing into the night
Like autumn leaves on a breeze
Or heats us briefly
Before melting under a noon sun
We observe and acknowledge it
As we carry on

Time rolls on
Ties become firmly knotted
As if to never be undone
Taming long completed
With the other’s place firmly anchored deep in our chest
Revisiting words
Those that once tugged emotional strings
Wetting eyes and shortening breath
Without changing form
Somehow can become vicious
They can rip and tear
At times so savagely
The surging tide becomes tsunami
Torrents; stopped breath
Compressed heartbeats
Choking
At times so savagely
Without donning emotional armour
We must look away
Until comfort and protection
Are assured

The unbound
Hesitate or flee
But with established ties
Taught enough, secured
These crashing waves
Are braved without hesitation 

Empathy
Can hurt
Can distract
Can fuel destruction
But these emotions also preserve us
Inspire us, bond us
Fuel creation
And teach us what
And who
We would guard to the best of our power 
For both our sakes 

October 29, 2024

An attempt to capture observations  — that I still do not and may never fully understand — on the changing effects of words upon revisiting, and their potential lessons through empathy.