The Collective Heartache of Others

The Collective Heartache of Others

i see heartache all around me
i see it in the person,
who seeks comfort in food
as something to take off the edge
of such unimaginable loss
there is a sadness in their eyes
and tiredness from counting the cost

i see heartache all around me
there is the person,
for whom,
the life,
they have worked so hard for
does not quite deliver
on their happiness
and the occasional shiver
is hard to place
and often hard to understand

i see heartache all around me
in people, so hard,
i never quite know some people
i wonder who they are,
and sometimes i wish they would reveal
a much more revealing side
but protecting who we are,
is, i guess, something that we all do

James Garratt – Saturday 1st June 2019