Anguish

I saw them today
living with such anguish
My heart tore
listening to their story

Described how hard it is,
Making and keeping
those around them –
Relationships of any depth

Pushing and pulling
Counter-weighing the forces
of those who seek, they said
to break them

Such frailty amidst
the anger; ah, that pain that burns,
Feeding the wounds
that inflame our souls

They came to say today
they’re so uncertain
this way or that or what to do
there seems no path

They shared their suffering today
jagged edges cutting rough
through their longing childhood
its time denied; for which they long

So hard to share, they say
pain gagging in their throats;
Swallowing hard the choking words
that describe such aching hearts

Living on the edge, they wonder;
Is it wrong, a home of the condemned?
Or a space to make their own
to find themselves, afar but free?

We talked an hour today
agreed there’s no one way;
Except to listen and seek to hold
with open hands what’s in the room

Yes we said, to meet again,
next week, maybe many, as
journeying home means journeying down through loss,
the grief, the pain; no promises, but in trust

They came to see me today
Such anguish; made me think of mine
not so far away; another edge, my ledge
From which consciousness brought me home…

*****