I never said the words when they were soft enough to land,
Held silence like a prayer no one taught me how to stand.
I watched the days fold in like pages torn too fast,
And called it healing just because I made it past.
My chest is full of echoes I pretend are only air,
I walk through rooms and leave behind the parts that used to care.
I smile like it’s armor, laugh like it’s proof,
But grief knows the cracks and always tells the truth.
You wouldn’t know it looking—how much I still rewind,
Trying to find the frame where I didn’t fall behind.
But love left fingerprints on places no one sees,
And now I hold my breath where I used to breathe with ease.
If I break, let it be honest—don’t stitch me up with lies,
Don’t call it strength when it’s just the way a heart survives.
I’m still here—raw, reaching, quiet in the ache,
Learning how to live with everything I couldn’t save.