he had rope,
tied around his neck,
tied around a tree branch.
she witnessed it all.
she saw him
tying the rope.
she saw him
climb up the tree.
she saw him
jump.
she did nothing.

she was seven
when it happened.

she didn’t know
what to do.
she didn’t know
that she could have helped.
she didn’t know
until she was thirteen.

the event haunted her
for the rest of her life.
she blamed herself
for the death
of a man
she didn’t even know.

she found herself wishing
often
that she was in the man’s place.
then,
she wouldn’t have to live
with the weight
of not saving him
on her shoulders.

she died the same way the man did.
she went to the exact spot
where she saw it happen.
she wrote a note,
she tied a rope,
she made sure no one was around,
so they did not have to go through
all that she did.

and then
she jumped