Little Sister

"Hey sister why you all alone?
I'm standing out your window
Hey little sister, can I come inside, dear?
Little sister can't you find another way
No more livin' life behind a shadow"

When you are so caught up in your own chaos of thought it is easy to miss things that are happening beyond your own walls ... Preoccupied in tidying my own mess ... Fearing I missed her cry for help ...

Total confusion ... lights ... noise ... clouding your ability to make sense of your surroundings ... strobes engulfing your rationality ... trying to separate your mayhem ... hard to differentiate between your own noise ... and the flashing lights that belong to another ...

Her lights were flashing ... My friend's ... SOS ... Like me her chosen method of coping being to take it all upon her shoulders until the load is so heavy she cannot carry it any longer ... she'll lock herself away until she thinks she's regained enough strength to continue, alone, carrying that heavy load ...

She sent me a text message ... I respond, respecting her terms of communication, not pushing the boundaries ... happy that she's turned to me ... relieved she finds solace in my words ...

When you regress sometimes just a mere beep from your mobile is enough to know you're still alive ... That small beep can go a long way ... Empathy ... Understanding ... Acknowledgment ... Gratitude ... Admiration ... Reinforcement ...

Seemingly knowing of her process I let her breathe ... I wait for her to break out of her cocoon ... Still I wait ...

Time is ticking and she still hides in the shadows ...

Should I have taken more action? ... Do I stay idle while she continues to breathe? ... Is this breath doing more harm than good? ... Have I waited too long and lost my place as her confidant? ...

I will continue to hold out my hand ... Let her know I am here ... Willing to share her load ...

Empathising ... Acknowledging ... Reinforcing ... Grateful ... Admiring ... of her ... for her ...

I am here ...