“Hush!”
You can’t say a word.
It violates the code.
The one you swore to keep.
“Hush!”
Don’t you dare tell a soul.
What will your conscience say,
When your confidant tells the whole world?

You want to be a good friend,
Or at least a good listener.
So when people come along and ask you,
“Can I tell you a secret?”
You shrug and nod your head,
“Of course you can”
But you then you find out you can’t bare or handle,
The secrets they place in your hands.

Many are jealous,
Wishing people trusted them as they trust you.
Mind them not for they have not a clue what it’s like,
To want to be there for people,
But to feel the need to tell the truth.
To watch a friend plan a betrayal,
And to be unable to warn the victim.

The secrets people tell are sometimes better off as secrets,
Because when I hear their confessions I can’t keep my cool.
I don’t judge them and I help them feel understood,
But I can’t help but feel terrified at what they’ve done.

My heart beats faster,
I suddenly can’t stay calmer,
The job of a secret keeper is never truly done.
For the job only ends when the secret is confessed,
And you certainly can’t be the one to do it.

To cope with some of the things you hear,
You write it all out.
Then throw out the paper, never to be seen or heard of again.
You listen to music and try to meditate,
Try to make that uneasy feeling go away.

It is nice to be a secret keeper.
To give good advice,
To help,
To have people trust you.
But sometimes the bad far outweighs the good,
And you ou start to wonder “Is empathy truly worth it?”