~
~==~
compassion
is a towering
tree, its roots
grow deep, for that
space to reach, in between
a rock and hard place. to
find its nourishment from pain;
it’s sustenance in life’s pouring
rain. for its seeds lie in needs; the human
kind of suffering. without which this gift
would cease to exist. a grace of great
price; a pearl of bright light.
well - nurtured it spreads
it's broad arms, to
swallow. the
s o r r o w,
to comfort
a mother,
a father,
a son or
a daughter,
to give
hope to
the dark of
their night.
an ointment it brings
not just once or twice, but a
salve to soothe a breaking heart... for life!
~
*post script.
please, for one moment consider this... the human emotion of compassion does not, and cannot, exist without suffering! compassion is in many ways like a mirror image of pain, and a man or woman with a well-developed gift of compassion knows it's great value is in its ability to enlarge our capacity for selflessness, for in sharing compassion we absorb another’s pain. yet we must also remember that many kinds of pain are incurable and are destined to be borne for a lifetime. therefore, equally important to that thought is this... compassion is not a “one-and-done” cure. instead it is an ointment and salve that must be applied, as often as needed, even for a lifetime to those who we love. and is not this the greatest pain reducer possible? ( and what’s more, it also does serious damage to narcissism! imagine that... two for one! :). it is only then in this context that i say these words, "pain is the gift that awakens our compassion!"