Get up, feather. Be free.
The things that get said don’t bother me all that much. The release is worth it. The words find a home out there in the open or gracefully land into the hearts of whoever overheard them. They’re good at that, settling down somewhere. They know how to rest easily after it took all their might to plunge into the world, into the unknown. Their enchantments are enticing. A few of them placed elegantly together in just the right way can create unimaginable things. Unimaginable compassion, love, or friendship. Inspiration. Trust and honesty. Contentment.
When they feel unappreciated, they spit out sorrow, misery, and pain. Daggers that aim straight for the heart, puncturing even the strongest barriers protecting it. They don’t want to be used to injure so deeply, maliciously. Not purposely. Not when they are our vehicle for understanding each other. Not when all they want is a safe home to stir together their magic. Not when they are ever so beautiful. Something so beautiful shouldn’t be used for destruction.
The things left unsaid are the ones who haunt me. The words that yearned so eagerly to fly but grew fearful when it was time to leap. The ones who will never have a home in someone else, remaining trapped in our own beings, locked away in a darkness so removed of restorative color that all of their senses become skewed. Sometimes for just a little while until they gain much needed courage. Sometimes forever, eventually buried in the dirt with their keeper. The longer our words stay within us, the more restless they become, like a small child badgering her mother for a glimpse of freedom. As their teenage years emerge, the relationship becomes one of parasitism, rebelling and tormenting us for never gifting them their time in the light. Sometimes they become wise and stop the torture, having found something better to entertain themselves with. Sometimes they never outgrow their rebellious youth, keeping us awake at all hours of the night until we no longer have any more nights to share with them.
It’s never too late to set them free. Open the cage door and welcome them. Offer them a finger to rest upon while their wings stretch out, ready for flight. Then, with all your might and love, let them fly.