Breaking Point
Jan 31 2023
I didn't offer advice.
Kept my opinions buttoned up.
Tried to listen
with a sympathetic ear.
But I find it difficult
to bite my tongue,
not rush in
and problem solve.
Because even though I know
not every question needs an answer,
the urge to fix things, make it better
comes so naturally to me.
When all she wanted
was to be heard,
a blank slate
on which to draw.
To break the chalk
with the pressure;
snapping it off
with a short sharp pop
and sending it flying across the room.
To rake her nails across the board
just to signal her distress.
The thing said
burden shared.
The boil lanced,
and the bad humors
that have been slowly poisoning her
exposed to the air
and somehow detoxified.
So I felt her distress,
nodding my head
as she talked,
making sympathetic noises.
Nothing solved,
but the relief in her face
was obvious.
And I went away wondering
why I can't do the same,
ventilate
expose myself
trust.
How instead, I keep it all contained;
letting things fester
and the pressure build up,
until the pain
becomes unbearable.
The breaking point
that even the most stoic
can no longer disguise,
let alone hide
from themselves.
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