He said “I know what comfort is”

“It’s the thing that sits

Inside your heart

And makes nary a peep”

And then I began to weep.

He said “I know how pain feels more,
“The closing of all opened doors

Tearing at you desperate for more

Clawing, gnawing, at your hope

Until you feel yourself begin to choke”

 

I said to him “dear let’s not pretend

You and death aren’t more than friends

Lets find ourselves a place here,

Invite your friend tragedy out for a beer,

And think about what we’ve got

How funny it is that the life we both sought

Ended up here”

I said with a queer little smile on my face

Hiding the pain I was trying to erase

That a man who has known comfort

Only in unrequited stupor

Must be required to fight like a brave little soldier

And my soul wrenched in two

As I realized we both knew

In a way we really weren’t supposed to

At that age,

What it felt like to fade away.