...Listening...

I found him sleeping behind open eyes
Dazed
Confused by reality cold enough to freeze winters
He speaks whispers to his long forgotten faith
Pain seems to know his name
Claimed his soul as he reached for love behind closed doors
He lives in the past so forever won’t change
Lived in the moment till their ending came
And I
I offer a shoulder that wipes tears with open ears for the weeping
Overstand the situation when I can’t even comprehend the broken heart of men
He cries
Allowing me to nourish egos with sentiments he can no longer feel
Me saying “Your heart will heal” means nothing
Doesn’t replace her walking out of closed heart doors as he begged her to say something
So I get silent
Listen to him pray as he cries tears of shame to a God he tries not to blame
To say I feel his pain would be a cliché
So I listen
Rambled words where sense doesn’t matter
He compares sorrows to death as heartbeats race in his chest
His only request is to not feel
Not deal with love slipping through fingers when he thought this time was real
And I still say nothing
Rather listen with open ears than my optimistic heart that says “This will get better”
And whether or not I helped him put his pieces back together is still a mystery
That night angels sent him to me and I temporarily stopped the pain
By listening