The Damage

I thought of you today

and the promise that I had made to you

and I wept bitterly

because I knew that I would keep it if I had to

I sobbed until my chest throbbed rhythmically

as I gasped for air

between the tears

It felt good to cry

It made me want to think of you even more

and the promise

and the damage

It made me want to wallow

in the idea of your pain and fear

which I could only begin to fathom

The tears soaked my beard

It felt good to cry

I imagined your pain

as worse as I could

I drenched myself in the idea of it

until I could take no more

As I recognized my own weakness

a ray of realization burst through

the clouds of my misconceptions

and I saw you for how strong you really are

your defiance never broken

You are a warrior

wounded in battle

but still continuing to fight

and winning all the time

You will never be defeated now

You will have the victory that you deserve