Indirect Decompression

You can’t save someone that doesn’t want to be saved,

nor love someone enough to love themself:

You can try to feed that endless maw

—attempt to stopper black holes—

yet all you’ll ever find is heartache.

You can’t live enough for two people,

nor bear the weight of their pain;

you’ll break inevitably, and them again with you—

only from the flames of your pain can you temper your will.

You can jump if you want,

but someone won’t always be there to catch you;

you can only try to explain how the hardest thing is not jumping,

and that each second on the ground is possibility.

But if they won’t listen, it’s not on you:

you can only shine light on dark,

bring water to parched mouths—

you can’t love away the pain & struggle,

only support their journey to find it themselves.

Sometimes it means losing,

no matter the civil war in your soul.