Hold the Petals When the Wind Blows

Walk softly, otherwise you crush my dreams,
Speak softly, do not disturb my feelings,
they are as vital as the air I breathe,
Without love, life is a mere tick of the clock
and the heartbeat, just a sound lost inside the chest.
Hear me, feel me…the sentiment is yours to cultivate.
Go gentle into the night and awake with an open heart,
for, when the last breath leaves your pallid face,
the only thing worth was the days you let yourself 
ignite the feelings you were born with but somehow,
let fall like petals when the wind blows.
Walk softly, speak gently, love deeply, be like a river.

—Bernadete vdw, ‘25