Gather

A Poem for Resilience

Redwoods in Mill Valley, CA

Not every moment must be met.
Some calls are meant to fade unanswered.
You are allowed to breathe.
To let the world turn without your hand upon the wheel. 

Find what soothes you.
A quiet morning. The warmth of sunlit stone.
Laughter that lingers, a hum in the bones.
Gather these things, and gather them well. 

Remember that stillness is not surrender.
What nourishes you is not a diversion.
These moments, the warmth, the laughter, the light,
They remind us what we hold onto, and why we must fight. 

Sink your roots deep, let your branches unfurl.
Stand tall in the forest, a refuge of green.
And stand you must.
Because the winds are rising. 

More will come.
More will test you.
Not as punishment, but as passage.
Not as cruelty, but as calling. 

Practice your resilience.
Hone your compassion.
Sharpen your kindness.
Let stillness teach you how to hold,
For soon, the world will need you whole.

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Background music in audio by Above & Beyond