a fragile likeness

shy on the inside with
nails bitten to the bone,
nerve-racked & exhausted
with trying to be normal,
sick of trying to find out what
that is,
he sits down next to her
& she with a paranoia that
keeps her inside most of the
time, caused from years of
abuse when she was growing
up, caused by neglect &
trauma that she might never
speak of to anyone,
but which swirl round in her
head every hour on the hour---
the both of them have “issues,”
the both of them are stumbling
through conversation,
but there is a beautiful, wonderful,
fragile likeness,
between two people who up till’ now
have felt that
they would never have such a
conversation,
with anyone who wasn’t getting paid
to give advice, calling it “therapy.”