The Secret Keeper's Burden (Found Poem)

The Secret Keeper’s Burden

(A "found" poem from Rudyard Kipling's The White Man's Burden)

By me :]

Beware the secret keeper’s burden—

The load is not light.

To serve your friends’ need,

To wait in heavy harness,

Not knowing what may be divulged next.

Beware the secret keeper’s burden—

Promises made

Protect all that can never be told.

Friends’ open speech is binding,

Keeping captive

All you hold inside:

“Promise not to tell.”

Beware the secret keeper’s burden—

It comes at heavy price

Each secret edged with dear-bought wisdom.

“Patience will abide.”

You suffer on in pain.

Beware the secret keeper’s burden—

Cloaking weariness

For many thankless years.

Forcing easy, ungrudged support,

The favor never fully returned.

Beware the secret keeper’s burden—

To be turned to for solace

Is a gratifying thing—

To be trusted.

You dare not stoop to less

Than maintaining your friends’ confidence.

But these secrets grow,

Half devil and half child.

To my readers...This is more the extreme of how I often feel. If you're one of my dear friends that confides in me, please, don't stop. This was not meant to discourage you from telling me...only to make you aware that sometimes I can't handle it. I pull myself into your problems and take them on for myself. This "burden" gets to be too much for me and I need time to detach. So if there's ever a time that I don't want to hear it, please don't take it personally. I really do love listening to you because I feel like I'm helping. I love you all :)