We can never speak our grief

burdened by others and their need

left to carry our tears alone

as the commentary of ought and should

is driven at us full speed

the vulnerable moments

go unshared

for we cannot be soft in the face of hatred

or the hardness of the unsympathetic heart

we close the door before we shatter to pieces

cloaking our space in calm darkness

chasing small comforts

against the sharpness of final chapters – Caroline A. Slee