When the Mask Slips

When the Mask Slips

I watch. And I see it— something I’ve never seen before.

The slight tremble in their hand. The restless bounce of a knee. Dark circles like bruises carved by sleepless nights.

But worst of all— the mask slips. And in their eyes, nothing. That dead quiet I know too well.

I freeze. The world freezes.

What do you do when someone is suffering the same way you are?

They say:  “Say the words you wish someone would say to you.”

But what no one tells you is— what do you say when there’s nothing you can say?