The Boy and (In) Me - H.R. Sinclair

I spoke to the boy today.
He still feels alone
I told him of love and happiness
and he nodded in agreement
I know he knows of it
but I don’t think he feels it.

I spoke to the boy today.
He was sitting by that
ever-alluring sea
hand buried in the cold sand
crying for home
somewhere he did not know.

I spoke to the boy today.
He still troubles himself
with problems not of his own
I asked him his feelings
and he told me of others
I asked him his dreams
he responded with silence.

I spoke to the boy today.
With his head down in
ink splattered pages
my voice rose his head
and with it a smile on his face
like a mask at a ball
pretending to have fun.

I spoke to the boy today
he told me his plan
he told me his solution
and showed me his note
words I had seen before
read before
words I wrote before.

When I spoke to the boy today
my tears ran
far more than that sea
my heart sank
far deeper than he would
my soul hurt
far more than he was
for I know what the boy could have
I know what the boy could feel
I know what the boy could be
if he would just go
another day.

I really hope that boy goes
another day.

© H. R. Sinclair 2025

Thank you for listening to my spoken word. This poem was originally published in Black Coffee Poetry’s Suicide Anthology: Part I.

Read this piece and 18 others in our collection.