You’ve had it bad, rough, tough, hard
I can’t act like I can compare my childhood to that of yours
And I won’t try
I can’t be empathetic to a pain I have never known
I won’t try to be or act like I can be
I can only offer you my hand and remind you that I’m here to try and understand your pain
Because that is what a friend does.
Life has handed me its share of misfortune
Much like you
Much like everyone I would assume
I have dealt with my problems, my issues, my terrors,
Sometimes appropriately and sometimes in ways that have hurt me worse
But I have learned from that
And I remember each of them
And I keep each memory-good or bad- locked away in a corner of my mind
And when you come to me with a problem, I can go there and find a similar one of my own and tell you that I have been there
I have been on that road that you are on and I have made it through
And you will too
Because that is what friends do
You have your days where you yell, you snap, you are uneasy
So do I
So does everyone I would assume
I will stare you in the face and let you unleash your anger and rage until your tears have dried away and there is nothing left to say
Because I know there will be times when it is me that is heartbroken, and you who I will need to sit before me
Maybe not to say a word
Maybe not to offer advice
But to hold my hand in a way that lets me know you care
And that you will always care though you might not understand
Because that is what friends do
You have told me secrets
You have shared deep, intimate, private thoughts with me
You entrusted me with them, these the fabric that weaves through your very being
I am starting to learn what makes you work, but there is so much more and I want to know it all
And I will tell you whatever it is you want to know about me
I have nothing to hide from you or anyone
I have some things I am ashamed of saying I have done
But so do you
So does everyone I would guess
But I will pour my soul to you as you have confided in me
your deepest inner workings
Because that is what friends do
Present day brings hard times,
maintaining control is not as easy as it used to be
We’re slipping away it seems
Losing our grasp on our own emotions now and again
Falling from the ladder that supports our feelings
I know this because I see it in your eyes
I feel it when I hear your voice
But it doesn’t matter to me because this is unconditional care I offer you
And no matter how far you fall
I am in your shadow waiting to catch you and put you back up where you belong
Because that is what friends do.
