You.

I am a sponge.
I soak up, I absorb, and I take in.
I notice, I observe, and I feel.
Others slide in & out of situations,
Immune to the tensions, the dilemmas, and the shocked silences.

I hold on.
I look around and I empathise.
My minds eye can't let go.
In that moment, I become one with the other. ...
I see what they see.
The injustice, the unfairness and the betrayal.
The images and the unsaid, they remain.

Hard to shake off, I find it strange.
The others, they speak without care.
My mind races, I evaluate & then re-evaluate.
How, what, why and when should I speak?
But they, the others, they don’t think.
Hurtful & contemptuous, they don’t stop.
They lie, the malicious rumours they spread.
But closer than my jugular vein, I know You know.

I sigh, I breathe, and I look away.
My tongue, heavy with responsibility, only wants to please.
Not they, not the others, no. Just You.

© Amy Serafina