Many, many moons ago
I came to you in numbness.
I couldn't laugh,
I couldn't cry,
And I couldn't share -- but I wanted to.

After a while, you took me in.
You offered hope, and joy,
And an ear to listen to my tales.
And you let me laugh,
And be sad,
And share my sadness when I wanted to.

Slowly, I became one of you.
I watched them come...
With great weights upon their shoulders.
And they laughed,
And they cried,
And I listened to them share.

All the while, my life changed.
The pains changed,
And once again I hid.
I took it upon myself to live
For when they laughed,
And when they cried,
And to help them when they shared.

Now, I come to you again.
With a pain too great to bear alone.
And I know that you will help me.
You'll listen as I try to laugh it off,
And you'll listen as I cry at last,
And you'll listen when I share.

And when one day,
It's time for me to go.
I'll leave knowing I'm one of you.
Because we number many,
But our hearts are truly one.
One mass that laughs together,
And cries together,
And shares all the tales that need to be.
We are friends, and we will never be alone.

Gwen LaBove (PUNSTERGAL) October 1999