These Words I Give to You - a Poem

I am here when, in my silence, vain and foolish thoughts

Scream and proudly boast that careless words would heal.

I am here when inward longings fall helpless into unnamed chasms

And when dark shadows hide our faces from one another

And taunt us with what we think we see.

I am here when I cannot see you

And when all that's left is the memory of what I know.

Like a lifeline, my fingers hold tight their grasp of the rope,

The end of which holds the truth of you.

And for that truth, I hold tight with other hand, my tongue,

And wait, for words that are my own and not another's.

These words I give to you.