tenderly, but don’t cry—-
this isn’t about you, you are not
breaking your own heart

care for it, bandage the pieces,
ask it if it wants a kiss, if it wants to be left alone,
if it still wants your company (in which you must love it more than ever)

remember that the heart has autonomy,
but never ever tell it that it’ll be whole again,
that it’ll love again

because a wounded heart can do nothing but ache,
must ache, can’t imagine anything but pain,
& you don’t know what you’re saying anyway

for you’ve already found love & kept your heart whole