• Co-worker

    You vanished,
    You fell off the earth for just a day.
    But when you came back,
    You just weren’t the same.
    We all saw the burns,
    Those little round bubbles,
    And we left it alone,
    Left you alone.

    Because its work
    And we don’t ask those questions here.
    We don’t ask why you did it.
    We don’t ask if it hurt.
    We don’t even acknowledge,
    Just work side by side
    And wonder about your cigarette burns.

    But you told me,
    Though I never asked or said a word.
    You showed me old scars,
    Some girl’s name carved in your arm,
    The old burns up your neck,
    And more.

    I told you that,
    “I hope you heal soon”
    And I didn’t mean your burns
    Or your heart.