After all the pain and hardships I've seen
My heart remains warm and soft
I did not grow cold or harden in the wake of seeing the ugly parts of life
However I find my heart more vulnerable
The pain in others evokes pain in my own as I listen emphatically to their self loathing
I understand the hatred towards the self
And the broken heart from an old lover
I have not grown cold over the years
I have become a sponge and an open dam
I let it in with open arms
And let it all flood out, uncontrollably