Fraying Rope

After all these years,
you're still there,
crawling among memories
of your childhood
in the basement of life.
So much of you is gone,
so much of you is dust,
yet, you still ask
for a blanket, a kiss,
s bedtime story,
so I light another cigarette,
eat another sandwich
but it's never enough:
your tears keep burning me,
your cries keep tearing me apart
to sad little stripes
until gluing myself back together
becomes almost impossible,
yet, I'm still here.
This fraying rope of a man
isn't going anywhere, buddy.
I'll get you out of there,
for me, for you, for us.