Who suffers most?

  The one to whom the pain is inflicted—

  The one who feels the jagged edge of every blow,

  The one who endures each scar and every wound,

  Each breath a reminder of what was lost.

  Or the one who watches,

  Powerless to stop the pain,

  Helpless as the soul of their friend cracks,

  Shattered pieces falling like ash—

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  A friend who cannot save them from the darkness.

  Or perhaps it is the one who cannot bear to witness,

  Who cannot even stand to be near,

  But knows that to look away

  Is to betray what is left of their humanity—

  Trapped, forever haunted by the silent screams,

  The hollow stare of a victim left alone.

  Which one suffers most?

  The broken, the witness, or the one left

  To carry the weight of it all—

  The one left with the memory

  Of a pain they can never undo.