He Gave Me What He Could Poem by Melanie Walendowsky Baker

He gave me what he could,
And I didn’t know how to ask.
He did what he would
And I still held my mask.

I wanted to share
What fear didn’t allow.
I would not dare,
I didn’t know how.

I doubt that he knew
What I wanted to say,
Nor what would ensue
If I had wanted to stay.

I kept the wall high,
All bricks in place.
Until his goodbye
And his warm embrace.

I slowly returned
To the table and cried
About my heart that was burned,
And the light that had died.

(London – 2003)