In the Name of God, the Subtle, the Loving
So many times, I have had to be strong:
Keep my head up,
Keep my face from being long.
So many times, I have had to be tough:
Harden my heart,
Keep it closed and rough.
So many times, I have offered up my shoulder:
To be a place of tears, of rest, of shelter.
So many times, I have offered up my shoulder:
To block the rain, as an enormous boulder.
But don’t they ever wonder about how I am feeling?
That as I open up my arms, my heart is reeling?
Don’t they realize that my strength is facade?
Smoke and mirrors to hide what’s inside?
Don’t they know that the shoulder I give,
Is an act of charity that I may live?
Because if they could see with the truest clarity
The truth behind the lies of my eyes
They would see a heart torn apart by calamity
And a soul tormented by the pain I surmise.
But my tears must never flow
My breath must always remain calm.
My true state – I must never show.
It is I who must accept the grieving palm.
And so I offer up my shoulder
To bring relief from the rain.
But know that I am not the colder,
If I can’t show you my true pain.
