do you even know it hurts us
to see you bitter
and angry
in your loneliness?

hostility replaced civility
somewhere along the way
and compromise
came to mean
giving up

nothing went
the way you wanted and now
you’re compelled to battle
life at every turn

were you always this guarded?
I thought I remembered you laughing
when I was little.
when did you forget
we love you too?