They Were Here
They were here –
They walked these halls,
Sat in these chairs,
Cared in these rooms.
They were here –
The ones who couldn’t take any more,
The ones who showed up every shift,
Who gave everything they had,
Cradling lives in their hands
Even as their own
Slipped through their fingers.
They were here –
But we didn’t see
The weight bending their shoulders,
The thoughts that told them
They would never be enough.
They gave their hearts,
And their bodies –
Their compassion was spent,
Poured into the healing of others,
Never saved for themselves.
They whispered comfort
To everyone but themselves,
Hiding tears in private rooms,
Hiding fears in quiet corners.
They gave,
And gave,
Until the weight became unbearable,
The silence too overpowering,
The darkness too soft.
Too tempting.
They were here –
And now they are gone.
One less heartbeat,
One less flame,
Extinguished
In the silence.
They deserved so much more –
More than tears,
More than candles,
More than promises,
Or moments of silence.
They deserved a world
Where no one is asked
To keep giving
Until there’s nothing left to give.
A world that sees them,
That holds them up
Before they fall.
We owe them that world.
May we never forget –
They mattered,
They matter still,
And they always will.
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