Fragility Poem by Erin Cowart

Did you ever need to just be held
Gently, like a baby bird or fragile leaf
That when touched harshly
Crumbles to dust in the hand

You who are bound together so tightly
With the thinnest of twine
Who cannot move one way or another
Without breaking in to a million pieces

If someone would just hold you
Honestly and in stillness
You might find the strength to stay bound
Or at least the desire to

What it must be like to float
In and through the soft hands of one who loves you
To find a soft place to land and scream
When the twine finally breaks

The problem is that you look sturdy
You look like the weight of the world
Could rest easily upon your shoulders
You do not look like some fragile thing

Unless someone cares to look in your eyes
They would never know
Only your eyes know the secret
And you never look anyone in the eyes

But there may come a day
When you look up
And hope that someone will see
And hope that they will hold you

And let you breathe for a while
And hold the weight for a while
And let you scream for a while
Until you can laugh again for a while

Gentle seer and holder of lost souls
This is my wish
To be held
To be weightless
To breathe
To be
Hold me