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Seeds of Respect

In the saffron summer, something grew out
Of the weeds of empathetic words between us.
It entangled and took over; I thought
It might be invasive, but it turns out
We planted it together.
Not deliberately at first, sometimes
Tomatoes just sprout from the compost
Heap of life. Sweet, and
Unexpected. Blossoming out of
Honesty, and nourished by laughter,
Maybe a little water, and days in the daylight.

Your supportive arms held me up,
And we grew stronger in the warmth
And flourished in the garden of nonjudgement.
When one of us withered now and again,
Or when we palavered into madness -
Sometimes there was rain,
Or necessary silence, but there would always be a harvest to come.

My dear companion, sibling of the soul,
In this serene truth I rest -
That however many winters bury
Our roots in the snow
And try to make us forget the
Fateful hours when we lived in the young heat -
Let me tell you, I will never
Forget the lushness of what you left in me.

The leaves may change above me,
The soil may erode beneath me from time
To time, but there will have never been
A life more fruitful than the one
With you, as close as a sister or brother, by my side.

With every hope, in the eternal garden of time,
I may find you again, always,
Sowing accidental seeds of respect
And growing mutual admiration taller than the grass.

--

Mad Words List 6.19.18

Companion/Companionship
Sibling
Brother/Sister/Brotherhood
Serene
Nonjudgmental
Unconditional mutual admiration
Honesty
Supportive
Empathetic

--

This week's word list was created by asking for words that best describe friendship. It was written with several friends in mind - and to all of them - you are my strength, my life is more enriched for having known you, and you are what keeps the flowers growing in my head.

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