And suddenly
I don't feel so tough
And I'm still the same girl
Who wrote you that letter
And cried
Because it didn't change your mind

I’ve held you up for fifty years
My arms are very tired
I feel the weakness creeping in
But I will never put you down.

I’ll put my back against the wall
That love constructed over time
And pray for new strength in my hands
That I might never let you fall.
ljm

I say the words
That may or may not help me
I say the names
That may or may not be heard.
I cry the daily tears
That may or may not heal me
And gather up the strength
To face another day of pain
Without a bird outside my window.
         ljm