Friend
Vicarious heartbreak.
secondary trauma.
I could see her
grasp for reassurance,
desperately clinging to a smile.
she wanted
to overcome,
persevere,
to climb the odds
stacked before her.
the obstacles,
inanimate,
unfeeling,
tangible
yet
untouchable.
the loneliness,
the desperation
in her eyes.
It haunts me
how I cannot
empathize.
Her eyes laid
her soul bare.
I could see the emptiness
and
only hope
to fan the embers of
her slowly burning fire.
Oh, how I want to save her!
A hug, a kindness,
to understand her grief.
But I fall and I fail,
my friend.
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