Reaching out takes reaching in
For something stable, something strong.
Sharing of feelings, thoughts and struggles
Takes strength, trust, and bravery.
Those who always keep their heart
Closed tighter than a coffin,
Buried six feet under a swaggering attitude
And a big bright smile,
Don’t really know what it’s like
To connect, to hold another’s heart
In your hand, gently, oh so gently
And give it back when they are ready.
To give healing, and to receive it back,
There must be two persons willing to risk
A broken heart, a cold shoulder, a deadly stare.
To risk rejection is not easy, and it is not done
Lightly, or carelessly, when it is really done.
To give another something you hold dear,
If only for a moment, is like risking a fortune,
And takes more fortitude. But the gamble
Is for wonders immeasurable,
Jewels much more precious:
Understanding, acceptance, compassion.
These treasures are priceless.
Stumbling along the sidewalk 
God’s taught me a lot in recent months about reaching in to find what it takes to share my feelings, thoughts, and struggles…to risk sharing my heart. Just tonight I referred to the “fortitude” it took….and voila, there’s the word “fortitude” in your poem.
You capture the depths of these feelings well, Gordon.
~Paula
thank you, paula. i think it was your statements and encouragement that inspired the poem, so you deserve some credit as well. thanks again.
gordon