A Poem for New Moon in Cancer:

A Poem for New Moon in Cancer:

When I am crying in your presence,

please do not pass the box of tissues.

Please do not place a hand on my shoulder or

get up to give me a hug too soon.

Please believe me when I say

I know when someone is able to

hold space  for me.

I know you’re there when

your eyes gaze at mine with patience,

despite your growing dis-ease

under the weight of a grief wave.

I know you care when you allow me

to linger in the guttural response of

of some raw emotion that has made its way

out of the hole I had buried it in.

I know you love me when you set

aside your desire to comfort,

in honor of my need to feel.

I know you are capable

when you tend to the pain

my tears excavate within you,

I feel your stability,

when you brush up against your pain

and resist the urge to sweep it away.

I know you are safe when my tide begins to return to sea,

and yet there is no trace or your exasperation.

I feel most at ease when others

trust me when I tell them my body knows

what to do in the event of a riptide

I will happily accept your Kleenex,

your touch and your embrace,

but please hold onto them

until I’m ready to come back to the shore.