This poem is a quiet reflection on a troubled relationship. It is a one-sided view. An expression of how it felt to try so hard to love someone who made it so difficult to accomplish. No doubt she had her own story to tell.
No Contest
Stranded by the pain in your heart
Like a boat run aground
That can’t reach the shore
And can’t find a reach
I tried to be a harbor
I was a port you would not call
What keeps you so cold, so dark?
What keeps you from the sun
From warmth and light?
I tried to hold your hand
You recoiled as if I were a viper
To touch, to share space
Is natural, normal, healthy
Not for you
It’s uncomfortable at best
Painful at worst
It hurts my skin you’d say
What happened in your young life
So profound you can’t move on?
I tried to love you, help you
Heal you, be your personal balm
I failed
I don’t know who lost more
Me or you
It was never a contest