Empathy and Old Friends

thought is heavy
so often hangs my head
I bow under a weight I cannot possibly conceive.
the external world is only a minute portion
of my perception
of my existence.
conversation is the only way to alleviate the forces that collide within my abstract reality.
to converse is to break the temporary dam that has captured my ocean of idea.
to understand, and to be understood
is my sole purpose for living.
we are much alike, you and I.
I and him.
you and her.
us and them.
your struggle remains internally captive
ruled with an iron fist by your solid self control
that which took me years to discover
years of raging externally, and destroying internally.
years of denying, rejecting, refusing.
years of indulging, imploding, eroding.
I respect your competent reign over existence
you rule your universe with dignity
while remaining indifferent to complacent conditioning.
you realize
yet you compromise.
I hope within
you have achieved
the ultimate equilibrium.