Tell me about respect

Prompt respect for Poets United

I struggled a bit with this one but I managed to squeeze out a poem :)

Tell Me About Respect

I took him to the attic
of human virtues.

In shadowed corners, we dusted off some,
brushed our fingers over others,
letting their quiet brilliance shine.

Then, with glistening eyes,
I cradled
in the cup of my hand,
the most dazzling of them all
Respect.

His eyes widened, curious,
as if seeing it for the first time.

I lifted a mosaic sculpture.
“Look,” I whispered,
“there’s a dark, rough fragment,
a petite, pretty piece,
a psychedelic swirl,
and a wicked, wondrous gem.

Each one is precious,
each one belongs,
each one fits
into this magnificent whole.”

“It’s the same with people,
honour each one,
for every soul has its place
in the universe.”

Some soften you with love,
some seep hope into your heart,
some build from brokenness.

Each soul is at its own stage:
one crawls as a caterpillar,
another sleeps in a cocoon of sorrow,
and one emerges,
fluttering in blissful wings.

If you soar above as a butterfly,
do not forget the leaf
where you once rested.

Wouldn’t it be gold
to land gently,
to touch wings,
and acknowledge each other?

We all matter.

Wouldn’t it be wondrous
to ignore what divides us,
to discover the ground we share,
and meet there, together?

Hold up your hands, my friend,
I pour into them
my dazzling respect,
a gift that dances
from heart to heart.