We All Love the Same

A middle aged man approaches the checkout counter
Bottle of wine,
Boston creme pie,
A broken heart.

I look into his eyes
Windows to his soul
Bloodshot, Puffy, Glistening
Suffering, Torment, Pain

He readies to leave
"Enjoy your pie," I chirp cheerily
He looks directly into my eyes
Speaks barely above a whisper

"It's what my partner would have wanted
Sitting at a grave
You eat a lot of this kind of stuff."
My face falls

"I'm sorry for your loss"
My mind races
What to say?
Quick, he's walking away!

"I hope your evening gets better"
He turns slowly
The torment overfilling his eyes
A few tears break loose

"Thank you," he replys
"Just last week we were debating
Who was to go first
He had my suit picked out"

"It's hard to lose someone
Twenty-one years
We cherished each other
The love of my life"

"The emergency room
Wouldn't give him medication
His doctor
Brushed him off"

"The next day
Coffee--a surprise for me
He never made it home
A heart attack"

The gentleman is openly crying
I'm patting his back
A walk out to the car
One human heart reaching out to another.

Feeling compassion
We all love the same.