Handing out Numbers

I sit on the steps alone

Hoping to be unseen.

Setting is pretty serene

Til you walk on the scene.



You sit beside me,

Inquire what’s wrong.

We sit in silence

Both determined to stay strong.



Finally the dam breaks,

I finally speak,

I begin the share from the depths,

"Life is honestly feeling pretty bleak."



You listen intently,

Take out paper and pen,

Start scribbling a number,

“This is where hope can begin…”



I take the piece of paper.

It was a hotline number you penned?

That’s for people who want dates,

And I simply want this date to end.

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Numbers are great for those close to the edge

With no hope in sight

Unable to think of a friend

Who can carry their burdens

And lighten the load

But I surely hope

That’s not where everyone is forced to go

When they are down and depressed

Need a place to rest

With someone they know

Who has also seen them at their best

And is not just present in this crisis mode

But to navigate and journey

All the places this life will go

Because we all need friendship

A deeper heart connection

A place to be seen

And not fear rejection

So can we be friends,

Can we reach out?

Not simply hand out numbers

But be present when the bottom drops out?



Joy Lynn