The Solution Poem by Trevor Toews

They clucked their tongues and pointed out my problem,
Gravely frowned and stroked their righteous chins
They tossed me round the table,
In a game nobody wins.

The truth was even worse than they imagined,
Their wildest tales were only just a part,
Destruction sped toward me,
Like an arrow to the heart.

I didn't need the thousand grim reminders,
I knew my burden like a grating tooth.
I'd seen it grow around me,
My downfall from my youth.

I pled with them to help me find an answer,
Why predicate what I already know?
Let's talk about solutions,
The direction I should go.

But solutions aren't as interesting as problems,
I knew that by the silence in the room.
Their shrugs deferred the question,
So the ranting could resume.

When they all grew tired and packed their cases,
And filed one by one out of that place,
I was left alone, and staring
At the problem, in the face.

No one cared to listen to the issues,
The same old wall I'd faced for years alone
Was still as big as ever,
And I was on my own.

Alone? No there was one who lingered,
I felt him squeeze my shoulder from behind.
I heard his words of courage,
So gentle and so kind.

A Friend is one who stays to find the answer,
Who's brave enough to actually get involved.
A Friend is one who cares enough,
To see the problem solved.