She answers on the second ring like pain has office hours says baby, breathe, I’m listening while her own room loses power There’s laundry in a quiet pile there’s dishes in the sink there’s a mirror she avoids now because it asks her what she thinks She keeps everybody’s secrets in the lining of her coat walks home heavy with the weather that nobody wants to own And they call her when the ceiling cracks when the bottle wins again when love walks out the back door when the night won’t let them end But who does she call when her hands begin to shake who holds the holder when the strong one breaks She’s the strong friend the midnight amen the voice on the wire saying you can make it through again She’s the safe house the last light the one who stays awake so someone else survives the night But there’s blood behind the smile there’s thunder in her chest she’s been saving everybody with nothing of herself left At work she keeps it graceful laughs before they see the bruise not the kind a hand can make but the kind a life can use She texts hearts and tiny flowers while she’s crying in a stall then wipes her face with paper towels and walks back through the hall There’s a mother who depends on her a brother who won’t call a friend who says “you’re lucky” you don’t need much at all And she nods like it is easy being everyone’s spare room being altar, being ambulance being sun inside the gloom But who does she call when the floor forgets her name who loves the lighthouse when it’s swallowed by the waves She’s the strong friend the midnight amen the voice on the wire saying you can make it through again She’s the safe house the last light the one who stays awake so someone else survives the night But there’s blood behind the smile there’s thunder in her chest she’s been saving everybody with nothing of herself left Don’t clap for her courage don’t crown her pain don’t make her a monument then leave her in the rain Some people are not strong They are cornered. They learned young that panic made the room worse. They learned early that tears could become chores for someone already tired. So they became useful. Useful is not the same as healed. Quiet is not the same as fine. And some nights the person saving everyone is texting “I’m okay” with both hands trembling. Let her be messy let her be late let her not answer let her lose faith Let her be bitter let her be small let her be human after holding it all Let her be angry let her be tired let her come home without being admired Let her be empty without asking why let her be loved without earning the light Who checks the pulse of the healer who makes a bed for the brave who sits beside the saviour when she cannot be saved Not fixed not praised not used not brave Just held just held just held just held She’s the strong friend but she’s somebody’s child she’s the calm in the wreckage but she’s breaking all the while She’s the safe house but the walls are thin she’s been letting everybody out while locking herself in So leave a light on put the kettle on say nothing clever just stay till the shaking’s gone She’s the strong friend but tonight she needs rest not another confession laid across her chest Don’t clap for her courage don’t crown her pain sit down beside her and learn her real name
