“Take care of yourself. Don’t work too hard,”
you said before escaping out the back door
to smoke away your distress for one blessed moment
before rushing home to start your next revolution
“It's nothing, I got it under control,”
I said before chugging a third cup of coffee
to distill my wild thoughts into one glimpse of clarity
before falling asleep in a bed of resolutions
But the tsunami can’t hide from the earthquake
Your restless soul calls out to mine
We both conceal troubles behind walls of pride
We both know every “fine” is a lie
Allow me to draw this thorn from your paw
Without tasting the sting of your vicious claws
Allow me to shed all my false skins tonight
Without scarring your flesh with my venomous bite
You pretend not to see how I shoulder my weight
I pretend not to hear as you stumble home late
A fool’s hubris is the burden we share
Fearless in battle but afraid to show care
