tiny hearts

He throws himself down,
with all the force of his feelings
erupting from his throat.
Eyes stare.
Others look away.
We blush.
“Shame on you! Get up! Bad boy!”

She cries, tears spilling down
her cheeks like falling rain.
Her chest shakes with the sadness
that crushes her little heart.
“Stop crying.”
“She’ll get over it.”

We yell in frustration,
find a quiet place to scream unheard.
A dinner plate shatters against the wall.
“Give yourself grace!”
“You expect too much of yourself.”
Understanding words feel like a soothing balm
on a chapped spirit.

When will we realize that
souls are not smaller for the bodies they reside in?
And tiny hearts do not feel less
because they are smaller or newer than yours.

If we feel bruised and sore in spirit,
and yearn for one comforting word,
so much more to tender hearts,
still learning what this hard world is like.

Tiny hearts do not feel less
because they are smaller than yours.

© Paige L. Cuthbertson 2022