For Precious, The Platonic Love of my Life

At the hospital bedside of a friend,

I learned an important lesson today
About the difference
Between doing and being.

When there’s a problem to solve,
A question to answer,
A task to accomplish,
I don’t hesitate—
I jump right in and do what I can.

But in some situations,
When you encounter
Things you wish you could solve, answer, or fix,
The very most
There is nothing you can do.

Today, I couldn’t fix it.
I couldn’t solve the problem.
It is far above and beyond me.

All I could do
Was to not do at all.

Just be there,
Just bring myself and my heart full of love,
To hold a hand and share the experience,
To smile and hug,
To laugh and encourage.

And then to weep.

~