He was twelve years old with a grown man pain
Momma cried quiet dad just yelled his name
Cold nights couch floors learned to stay alert
Learned real quick how the world can hurt
School said trouble but they never asked why
He just stared back with them tired eyes
First punch thrown just to feel some control
First time he learned how to harden his soul
You ever wonder what it’s like
To wake up already tired of the fight
Judge a man by the scars you see
But you never lived his nights
You talk like life was fair to you
Like love never lied or left you bruised
Before you point and say he’s wrong
Ask yourself what it’s like to be him
He fell in love with a girl who smiled like peace
Thought maybe finally the hurt would ease
Promised forever under streetlight vows
But forever don’t mean much to people now
She left him bleeding with a phone that rang
Heard her laugh in another man’s name
He drank it down tried to drown the shame
Swore he’d never feel that pain again
You ever wonder what it’s like
To give your heart just to lose your life
To trust someone with everything
Then watch it burn in flames
You say move on like it’s easy to do
Like memories don’t live inside you
Before you tell him he’s too weak
Ask yourself what it’s like to be him
He found God on a cold church bench
Hands shaking asking for forgiveness
Read them pages looking for a sign
That broken men still get a second time
Tried to be better tried to be calm
Still felt ghosts every time he slept alone
Love came back wearing a different face
Same lies different name same mistakes
You ever wonder what it’s like
To keep forgiving just to survive
To love so hard it costs your mind
But you still don’t walk away
You call him stupid call him blind
But you never loved with his kind of fire
Before you say he should’ve known
Ask yourself what it’s like to be him
Now he’s older with kids that need him strong
Smiles for them when everything feels wrong
Carries weight they’ll never see
Tries to break chains that were handed to me
You ever wonder what it’s like
To hold it together one more night
To be the man they all depend on
While you’re falling inside
So next time you judge that man in the street
Or that quiet guy who don’t say much to speak
Remember pain don’t look the same
And you don’t know what it’s like
Mario_Maldonado
