IN THE GARDEN OF YOUR KINDNESS

 

In the Garden of Your Kindness

In the garden of your kindness, I bloomed,

A flower grateful for the sun you loomed.

But as the day waned, your shadow grew,

And I found myself wilting, unsure what to do.  

Your watering can, once a source of life,

Now drowned me in expectations, sharp as a knife.

I am not a bonsai to be trimmed and shaped,

Nor a vine to be trained, my spirit draped.  

Let me grow wild, let me find my own way,

For gratitude should not be a debt to repay.

I am thankful for the soil you provided,

But my roots are my own, and I will not be divided.  

So please, let me be, let my petals unfurl,

In the light of my own making, in my own world.

For what you offered, I am forever grateful,

But my growth is my own, and I will be faithful—  

To the person I am, to the person I’ll be,

Not bound by your vision, but finally free.