And she wept on my shoulder

Pulling on my heart

Nothing to say

Her tears pooling on my sleeve

I couldn’t speak

I didn’t know what to say anyway

I placed her face in my hands

Wiped her eyes

Smeared the mascara

My little raccoon

Still, she was breathtaking

Beautiful in her sorrow

The welling of her eyes

Made my pulse quicken

Being her shoulder, feeling useful

I’m her hero, her knights, her shining armor

Walking the ends of the earth for her

Fending off death, dementia and decay

My own inadequacies overshadowed by the way she looks at me

The way she moves, shakes her hips, flips her hair

None of this matters as she heaves in despair

Holding her close, tighter

Trying to squeeze the breath out of her sadness

Give me a quick fix, give me her back

Give me that smile

That laugh

That gleam in her eye

The passion in her voice

Good times and bad; that was the promise

Testing that vow now, pushed to the limits

Seeing her falling apart made my own life seem fragile

She’s stronger than me

Made me wonder what would happen

When it’s my turn and I’m using her shoulder to keep from drowning