Empathy 

How did you feel when I caught you?
I saw the shame in the way you quickly glanced down and changed your voice,
You sounded guarded, indifferent,
It’s not worth it I told you,
And then you told me what happened,
I wanted to take in your left arm and softly kiss all those scars,
I love you,
Not in the sexual way,
But in a protective way,
At that moment you were my brother, you were my uncle, you were my son,
I wanted to tell you that I understood,
That I can empathize,
Because before and after everything we are still human,
Flawed and scarred and sick,
You kept on disappearing throughout the night,
I picture what you were doing,
Looking at yourself in the mirror, telling yourself off,
Being mean and cruel, and sick, wishing you were high,
I followed you around, hoping to keep you safe, even just for a day,
I wanted to hug you, to wipe your invisible tears of your face,
Let me kiss your scars, I know what it feels like to be human

http://allpoetry.com/poem/11200053-Empathy-by-Jackie-Castro