the beauty of suffering

suffering, with all of its disruptive torment, has infinite potential for expansion and growth of the heart. it offers the ability to bring us closer to others, to forge a connection with the understanding that others too have a heart that can ache. and while we can not fix anyone, perhaps we can offer ourselves as a witness to their pain, offering our presence and willingness to not turn away from that which is uncomfortable. suffering lays the seeds for the heart to soften and discover compassion for others who also experience the pains of being human. we all suffer though to varying degrees and at different points in our individual journeys. but if we can remember this, remember that each person carries with them both the weight and the utter beauty of this life, perhaps we can learn to view this as a common and binding thread.
k

i am waiting for the shadow of your heart to reveal itself,
waiting to see the place that respectable men dare not speak of,
though they all dwell there,
quietly,
at some point or another.
i want to see the place where particle rays can not penetrate,
where moss is suffocated and black,
and children's fantastic nightmares pale in decay.
undo your stitches,
so that i might see,
these unbearable corners of your soul,
so that i may decide if i can love those parts of you,
as i love all of the others,
for it is far too easy to want a man who reveals only his Grace,
and i feel up for a challenge.