SACRIFICE

He cried almost silently,
And slowly. A tear would fill his eye,
Drop to a cheek, quiver trembling for an endless eternity,
And fall to the ground.
And then he'd start again, perhaps punctuated by a gasping breath
His arms wrapped tightly around himself, not allowing anyone near.

I sit, helpless, aching for his pain,
But unwilling and unable to find the words to ease him
By taking the blame, yet again...
Unwilling, for fear of trapping myself within his circle of sadness.
And so stay, we two, tensely balanced,
Somewhere between despair and despair,
Perhaps this is our only solution.