Poem: Truly

Truly

Truly

I don’t think there is anything more beautiful

than the innocence of a child.

Not just in the way they laugh

but in the way they trust the world

before it teaches them not to.

And I think

perhaps empathy is born

from seeing that child in everyone.

Because all the anger in the world

isn’t born from hatred

but from fear

fear of feeling unseen

of being unheard

and unloved.

God’s presence can be felt

not in thunder or scripture,

but in the broken mirror

that each person carries inside them

the one that reflects

that cracked image

still trying to show who they were

before the world asked them to change.

And when I see that child

still flickering behind the glass

I remember

what love is.

Hemi Croft, living in Perth is a former member of the Australian Defence Force. He is a lover of poetry, short stories and military history, and his novella, titled Kneel, was published in December last year. More can be found about Hemi and his work at his website.

Readers’ original and unpublished poems of up to 40 lines can be emailed, with postal address, to [email protected]. Submissions should be in the body of the email, not as attachments. A poetry book will be awarded to each accepted contributor.

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