Adonis

A tiny fish bone caused his pain,
Or so he said.
It was a niggle behind his tooth,
But no-one knew.
And what did it matter anyway,
It was his pain, not communal.
Like Tin-man with a tummy ache
It was impossible to detect his discomfort,
But the sharing seemed to ease
A quota of his suffering,
An the recongnition that I felt
Caused a temporary numbness
Of my own hurt.
I could feel the warmth of his aura
Mend the break in mine,
And the token shell which fizzed with vitality,
Became an anchor as he took it from his neck
In a moment of friendship.
He told me that his pain was just,
For the taste of the fish had been so good.