Compassion Burnout

You prove your worth again and again

But sometimes it is never enough

You push yourself to the limits

Of endurance, of hope, of strength

But somehow it never gets you anywhere

You strive, over-reach, endure countless times

Yet in some way it all falls short It is never enough

You are not sufficiently strong

Your will may be ironclad

But your body invariably breaks down

There is only so much one human being can do

When faced with the Armageddon of all things at home

And every person is a Compassion Emergency at work

Nowhere is there any comfort

And you give all that you have

People always expect more of you

When you offer all that you are

People always ask more of you

You push yourself to the limits

Stretch yourself so thin across the chasm

Of what is and of what should be

That sometimes it feels almost as if

This is the end

And you are not there anymore

No more strength to take on anymore battering

No more will to push the envelope

No more soul to cover the hole in your endurance

You've gone invisible inside

Burnt to a crisp

You've become a wisp of vapour 

Your soul floats gently

Into the passing clouds