Please,
forgive me
if I don't cry
while you cry,
if I don't lose hope
while you're struggling,
but I couldn't tell you
not to give up on yourself
if I, myself gave up,
not to lose faith
if I lose it too.
How could I make you believe
that you have to be strong
to deal with your problems
if I, too, was weak
and like you,
let myself die?
And now that you're gone,
I can finally cry.

November 1, 2017
From the collection "The soul glasses"
Copyright 2020 Gianfranco Aurilio