If you would grow by Daniel F. Mead

If you would grow to your best self Be patient, not demanding Accepting, not condemning Nurturing, not withholding

Self-marveling, not belittling Gently guiding, not pushing and punishing For you are more sensitive than you know Mankind is as tough as war yet delicate as flowers We can endure agonies but we open fully only to warmth and light

And our need to grow is as fragile as a fragrance dispersed by storms of will To return only when those storm are still So, accept, respect, and attend your sensitivity A flower cannot be opened with a hammer.