Measure of a Heart

1/13/18

https://news.lvhn.org/

Resting your head on the shoulder

of hope itself,

inviting it to greet you with open arms,

to gratify your longing with a congenial presence

that up to this point you’ve scarcely encountered.

This is the measure of an open heart.

Desperately seeking to distinguish the authenticity

from the misplaced sympathy

and from the rare but honest empathy.

Finding solace in shared sorrow,

even of a lesser or incomparable degree,

just to know that you’re not entirely alone.

This is the measure of a trying heart.

Folding your hands together so tight

that your knuckles turn white

and keeping them clasped

well into the night,

clinging to the

comfort that such a simple gesture brings.

This is the measure of a praying heart.