Dearest Daughters

You say you feel small
and the world feels big.
Try not to despair:
You occupy a small corner
of the world, and in it,
you are big. My loves,
though your hands feel
empty, look: Even in chaos
you have everything you need
to make your own corner
sweeter, cleaner, calmer,
kinder. Start now.

In the face of uncertainty,
compassion is an answer.
So ask the question:
What is needed? Then give
that exact thing. Smile
at a stranger. Hold a door.
Hold a hand, a kitten,
a candle, an idea. My loves,
seek solitude and build
together: homes, friendship,
awareness, joy. Now
is the time to draw, sing,
dance, paint, write, speak,
garden, cook, teach, knit,
sculpt, play, throw clay,
bend metal. Laugh.
Now is the time: Ideas
breathe when we move.

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