In Lieu

The temptress caught privately… cleaning the public heart.

—Jig3125

Some things are public by nature.

The heart isn’t one of them.

Yet somehow, everybody has an opinion about it.

Who deserves it.

Who broke it.

Who owns it.

Who should have access.

Funny arrangement.

A public heart with private rooms.

Then the temptress appears.

Caught privately…

cleaning the public heart.

No audience.

No announcement.

No applause.

Just the quiet work of removing what doesn’t belong.

Dust.

Doubt.

Old fingerprints.

The residue left behind by people who came through and forgot to wipe their feet.

Cleaning is usually visible.

The results are visible.

The action itself?

Often not.

Someone notices the shine.

Nobody notices the effort.

The heart works the same way.

We admire the warmth.

The kindness.

The generosity.

Rarely considering what had to be cleaned out to make room for it.

A little bitterness removed.

A little resentment.

A space created where something better can live.

The temptress caught privately…

not stealing the heart.

Not claiming it.

Cleaning it.

That’s the difference between possession and care.

You don’t have to own something to want it restored.

You don’t have to announce your kindness for it to matter.

The public heart isn’t really public at all.

It only becomes visible when someone quietly takes care of it.

In lieu of ownership…

there is care.

— JIG3125