Empty Bucket

Photo by Carolyn V via Unsplash.

I have awesome friends.

It seems no matter how much I receive
In hugs from family
Or reassurances
It doesn't last long enough

So much death
No one wants to discuss
They deny it will come to us
We are "strong" and pretend

But that is violence
The violence of silence
That we perform 
On each other

And now the violence continues
This time in my own home
I feel it
Others feel it

It is worse than in March
There was so much time to prepare
And yet...
The strongholds are much tighter now

We try to comfort each other
Through texts
And cards
And phone calls
And Zooms

​How can you give what you don't have?