If I could

If I could

I would take away your blinding pain

And tell you how beautiful you are, how powerful

If I could 

I could crack open the darkness

And let light shine through, come through

If I could

I would hug your inner child

And accept all your emotions as they are, no judgment

If I could

I would marvel at your youth and bravery

Gently pushing away all excuses, all fears

If I could

I would make you feel loved and forgiven

I would make you feel safe and not alone

I would make you feel cherished and honored

but

What if you are looking at me to give you

the very things only

You can give yourself?

What if happiness is both a choice and a consequence?

What if the noise is not our differences but your defensiveness?

How can you feel my love if 

all you are doing front and center is 

Proving your thesis is right

that I am wrong

that I do not love you?

Counterintuitively no one wins 

from a competition of right and wrong

And dominance and control won’t drive away the gnarly 

haunting loneliness

I accept your grief

and I will always love you