Creative Writing #51

look, i understand you're tired
i understand your pain
i understand your loss
your misfortune
even the time you had your wisdom teeth out
i understand that, too
i feel your depression
your failures
your sufferings
i feel the loneliness
as it seeps out of your soul
through your clothes
and falls to the floor
i feel the emptiness
of your heart
i feel your need for
some kind of power
okay
even if it's shared power
you need to have it
even if you hate sharing
i know you try
but you don't try hard enough
you never have
the only thing you work hard for
is to be able
to clutch a bottle
every night and hope
all your problems drown
i know it's tough
i know it's rough
i understand the sadness
i see the madness
i know your fears
have grown stronger over the years
but i can't take it any longer
you must be wondering
how the hell could i understand
all of this
all of us
all of you
i know, i feel and i understand
with every hit from your hand

1996