no one wants to hear how tired you are...

They have their own stories and struggles.

no one wants to hear how tired you are, how late you were up,
how the baby wouldn't sleep,
how work was hard, or just long.

No one really wants to hear about your aching feet, or head, or heart.

Unless.
Unless you are willing to punch through the tired, the ache, into the source, into the deep 
human longing.

Pull back the tight-wound layers of it all, the election,
the dishes, the words bitten back, the ones you regret,
and take a moment to tell me 
what the moon looks like tonight.

tell me about your anger, or your sorrow, or your need for something
you can't quite name.

It's so much more than tired.
No one wants to hear
they want too much to see, to touch, to hold.

to hold you up.
to hold your hand.
to hold on when you are so ready to let go.

I'm tired of battle metaphors.  I want a metaphor of building.
less tearing, less fighting, less struggle.

No one wants to hear how tired you are.

I want a soft pillow, and a gentle hand, and strengthening sleep, not just for me.
for you, and for them, and for the person who made you angriest.

Goodnight.  Tomorrow, the sun will rise,
and we will go on building.

originally published 11/5/2014 

from unsplash.com