you stayed up with me
until midnight—
red eyes, black hoodie,
coffee on the side of your lip.
my report was shit.
you didn't say it like that.
you just smiled
and asked,
"mind if i change a few things?"
you rewrote the whole thing.
while i told stories
you'd heard a hundred times.
you still laughed at the stupid ones.
you still nodded at the heavy ones.
you kept working.
editing.
highlighting.
commenting.
asking me to spell "entrepreneur"
for the fifth time
just to make fun of me.
you never complained.
not once.
you just said,
"it's good now. you'll be fine."
and i was.
because of you.
i never told you
that report got me the job.
i wore a grey suit.
i smiled at the panel.
i answered every question
with the confidence
you gave me.
you fixed my words.
and i couldn't even
say the one thing
that mattered.