Your heart is broken
My heart is broken
You grieve and struggle to breathe
As you digest the news
I grieve for you
And with you
We have more in common than you can know
I wish I could take your pain away
I wish someone could take mine
All these skills sound hollow
All my words empty
We’re so similar in this moment of shared trauma
Yet I have to stay focused on helping – focused on you
I must walk alongside you and separate myself from you simultaneously
As I, too, grieve and struggle to breathe
Am I helping? I wonder.
Yes.
I am here. With you and for you –
Reminding you us to breathe


