Recidivism

he stares out the window
shoulders hunched
his back to me
wrapped in his own pain
i watch silently
wanting to reach out
caress his shoulder
erase his sorrow
but i can't
he tilts his head slightly
sighing
and tells me
he doesn't know how much more
he can take
I lean over
and touch him with only
my lips
as i cry inside
for what he has lost

March 2001