The Ghost Behind Me

I watch what he is going through,
Reliving my own pain at the same time.
There is nothing to say.
Just be a presence and let him lean,
But I am falling over myself.
Tall as I am, there is still a brim
And I am full to bursting.
Strong as I am,
There is a limit to the weight I can carry.
Whose ear can be leant,
Whose eyes can see and heart can feel
This pain I've lived through again and again?
It keeps me in it's taloned grip
And claws my breath and my brain
To leave every trace of the happening behind.
I'd forgotten all the little details...
Mostly.
This pain brings with it all the pain from before,
Tearing away the scar tissue I'd built up
To keep it away.
It comes fresh and bleeding
And the only thing I have to offer
Are tears and condolences  
To try to wash it away.
My empty arms outstreached  
To try to help you hold it too.
I don't know if this memory is something you will want,
But it is something you certainly
Cannot turn away from.
I remember standing there where you are.
I remember...
Too clearly.
I'll be here for you,
And hope.
Hope that my experiences won't overshadow yours.
That perhaps you will do it better
Because of all the mistakes I didn't make
But think I did.
When the climax comes
And the dust settles
We will cry together
And rightly wallow in the misery of it 
Before moving on.
I will cry
A tear for you,
A tear for him,
A tear for my own poor heart.
This will always be something that we carry.
Not a burden, though it does weigh heavy.
So very heavy and so very present.
A badge burned on our hearts,
That we share only with those who know.
Who have stood where you now stand.
Where I will always stand will you,
Though the rooms spins back
Far in the past to one far gone.