Sorrow Softens Us

Sorrow softens us

corrodes our defenses

bares us to the world

makes us shy

casting down our eyes

pulling at our tattered fig leaves

and waiting for a voice in the evening.

We sit down a little slower

pause before answering questions

take the back stairs

and wait for the emptier bus.

But we are softer, too, I think.

Seeing deeper

into the eyes

of those who squirm

on the other end

of their own questions.

#sorrow #grief #growing #empathy