The Man Nobody Checks On

THE MAN NOBODY CHECKS ON

I'm thirty-five years old,

Ten years sleeping on my own,

Always the good guy, always the brother,

Always everybody's home.

I'm the shoulder when she breaks down,

The voice saying, "You'll be alright,"

But nobody asks the man behind it

How he made it through the night.

I'll drop everything I'm doing

When somebody says they need me.

I'll keep them from falling apart

While I'm breaking at the seams.

Funny how I'm everybody's shelter,

But nobody shelters me.

I'm the man nobody checks on,

The brother, never the man.

The one they call when everything's falling,

The one they forget when they can.

I'll carry every burden,

I'll bleed and call it love.

I'll give until there's nothing left

And still they'll ask for more.

I'm the man nobody checks on,

The strong one who's getting weak.

Everybody knows where to find me,

But nobody thinks to seek

The heart underneath the armor,

The soul underneath the scars.

I'm still standing in the darkness,

But I don't know who we are.

I work beneath a burning sky,

Forty degrees and roads of dust,

Breaking stone beneath the sunlight,

Giving everything I've got.

Then I come home exhausted

Just to start another shift—

Cooking, cleaning, carrying everybody,

While nobody carries this.

Today I helped them move their furniture,

Did everything they couldn't do.

When the work was finally over,

"We're done. You can leave now."

And I drove home in silence

With those words inside my head.

Funny how you're family when they need you,

Then you're nothing when they're done.

I'm the man nobody checks on,

The brother, never the man.

The one they call when everything's falling,

The one they forget when they can.

I'll carry every burden,

I'll bleed and call it love.

I'll give until there's nothing left

And still they'll ask for more.

I prayed for something simple—

Never asked for gold or fame.

While other men wanted riches,

I just wanted love that stayed.

A woman waiting at the doorway,

Some children calling me Dad,

A reason to come home someday—

Something I could finally have.

But I'm still the reliable one,

The safe one, the loyal friend.

The brother you can lean on,

But never the one you choose in the end.

I'm the man nobody checks on,

But I'm still here.

Still breathing.

Still carrying.

Still fighting.

Not because it doesn't hurt—

Because it hurts like hell.

Not because I'm fearless—

Because I've learned to live with fear.

I don't need another promise.

I don't need another "be strong."

I just need somebody to sit beside me

And ask me what's wrong.

If you find me quiet,

Don't assume that I'm okay.

If I stop sending messages,

Don't assume I've walked away.

For once, don't wait until you need me.

Just ask me how I'm doing—

And stay long enough

To hear the answer.

Because I'm still standing.

But God knows—

I'm tired of standing alone.