On your bench

Please do not sit
on your bench
and judge those around you.
I have not stood in your shoes,
any more
than you have stood in mine.
Sadness is not a competition.
Sorrow is not a tool.
Compassion is a cloak
that should be worn
without pretense and stipulation.
Care is the jacket
whose lining is fluffed with
unconditional understanding.
The gavel you beat
does not always draw the silence you seek;
instead it slams upon the heart
of those you do not, or choose not
to hear and consider.
You do you.
I will love you and support your choice.
I'll do me.
Do what you will from on your bench.
There is really only one Judge.