you are more than the sum
of your body parts.

i won’t pretend to get it.

i won’t pretend to understand
the loss, the pain, the life after.

i also won’t sit by
and let you struggle
alone.

you’re not,
and you probably know that.

but i do understand that
knowing and believing
are two different things.

and i do understand
that time’s passage
won’t heal all wounds.

maybe this one lies dormant,
always lingering in the shadows,
waiting for the opportunity to wake.

i won’t pretend i’m the same.

but i won’t deny that i, too,
have lurking fears
that creep and
crush me,
even after
several years
since they’re supposed
to have been quenched. 

i know about mind games. 

the laws of the universe don’t matter
to the ghosts inside your head. 
they make their own rules,
where objectivity and rational thought
are meaningless,
and they strive to reject any progress
you’ve made to the contrary. 

i know about their games.
they’ve played me for a long time. 

but infinity on one isn’t fair. 
i’ve had my teammates
and enough experience
to play on your side too,
if you’ll let me. 

i don’t know everything. 
but I know some things,
and I hope that counts 
for something.