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.