Dreams of Mercy (revised)

I once dreamed of walking through emerald forest,
hanging all the weight and worries of my body
and soul upon thick, uneven branches.

I felt the wind blow the dust out from within this
wounded temple. I heard the whimpering cries of
old grief come to have a say. This grief so laden,
so familiar; it was as if all the years of want, the scars
of loss and letting go, came out of this Unsayable said.

The trees dared me to let this grief hollow out
my bones with mercy, to paint the walls of my heart
the colors of sadness and joy.

I have failed this challenge before, these pregnant
opportunities to be held by an urgent compassion;
too often I have walked away, full of myself,
and empty of the Truth.

But today…today I dreamed of walking through
emerald forest, my fingers tracing poems in the
worn flesh of their bark.