All Around Me

I like helping others, but as as empath it can sometimes be very hard as I take on the feelings of others....dark and light. It feels as though I am a sponge sometimes.

All around me begins

Like the quintessential song lyrics

"All around me are familiar faces"

And these faces are struggling, sad

Weighed down by the burdens of life

I try to help by being the person they can talk to

Who will listen

But at the same time I don't want to live like them

Carry their burdens

And I feel gratitude for my life

For my own struggles

No matter how heavy they have felt

To me they look manageable

Not the crushing dark burdens that I take from them

Author's Note

If this poem comes across as rude, I apologize. I just had a need to share the dark side of being an empath. Helping to others and listening them can be very fulfilling, but at the same time it can be difficult.

Reviews

[John the Baptist]

Empathy is of crucial importance to those who seek to help others. The poem shows that it can be a great help to those in pain, but also how the empathetic person can be weighted down by that pain. We can be empathetic while also protecting ourselves.

[LeslieNoel]

That is very true. I think it is all about finding a balance between helping and protecting oneself. I am still trying to learn this precarious balance myself. Thanks for the comment! I will review one of your works as well.