to open.

to all the ones who have encouraged me to open:
thank you for prying at my heart,
for the sensing that there was something in there
wanting and needing to get out.
thank you for asking the questions
that helped me open up instead of shut down.
thank you for patience as i found my voice -
often through the onslaught of tears that would
normally pour forth before the words could be formed.
thank you for caring enough about me to take the time
and the energy to see me come open.
unfolding like a flower,
ready to bloom,
yet still resisting the warmth of the sun
that awaited the arrival of the exposed inner petals -
as one and then two and then three layers
of me came to be free.
there are times when i like to be soft & gentle,
just unto myself -
feeling & thoughts that are happy
to simply float within my own being -
and then there are times I need to release
what resides inside and in those moments
i give thanks for the hands and the hearts
and the hugs that hold my emotions & me ever so tenderly.