(I know many of you out there are probably like me when it comes to trying to comfort others in times of sorrow or pain. I don’t know the right words to say, so often I say very little, or nothing at all. While I struggle with my own failures to find the right words, I try to be there in other ways that will comfort just as much. This poem is dedicated to those silent comforters who seek to fulfill the needs of others in ways words sometimes cannot accomplish. May God ever bless you.)

The Silent Comforter
Adam B. Cozort

I do not know the words to say
To ease the pain you feel this day.
I know there are others with golden tongues
Who can salve the pains with the breath of their lungs.
But for me the words are hard to find,
Though many things run through my mind.
So as I sit with you this day,
Let me show my concern another way.

I am always afraid to say something wrong,
To make you wish I had not come along.
I know empty platitudes are not what you need
When dealing with something that makes your heart bleed.
And while there are many things I wish to say,
I am certain my words will not pass the right way.
So here I will sit without saying a word
To keep you from wishing my voice you’d not heard.

Though I am not speaking I hope that you see
Those things beyond words that are offered by me.
A shoulder available on which to cry,
And two ears to listen without need for reply.
With a heart full of love and a head full of prayers,
I hope you will see there is someone who cares.
Please know that my silence is born out of love,
And I’m praying for you to the Lord up above.