Empath

My heart, since my youth, has

whispered to me, pointing to

other lives, other places

Other people

Demanding that I bear witness.

Once, these faraway lives

Told stories of joy and laughter

But too many now

Know only

Heartbreak and fear

Pain and loss

Helplessness, hunger

And a deep, aching sadness.

The despair of souls that are not my own.

“Yet,” says my heart, “we shall bear witness.”

And I can feel them with me

Their songs of sorrow all around me.

Although I long for the quiet

And ease

Of ignorance

The world tells me “you don’t have to look”

So I should be blind to other’s wounds?

“You don’t have to listen”

So I will be deaf to their cries?

“You can have your comfortable life.

Their burdens are not yours.”

“No,” my heart says. “We shall bear witness.”

For I am not blind. I see.

I am not deaf. I hear.

I am not numb. I feel.

And I am not ignorant. I know

Their burdens are too heavy.

I will grieve with them.

I will grieve for them.

I shall bear witness.