STRONGER IN THE SILENCE

 I held my tongue,

bitten with the taste of goodbye,

words unspoken—

secrets we didn’t have the courage to share.

You posted your love

like a flag unfurled,

bright for the world to see,

while I was the secret,

the hush between the lines.

I reached for you,

a trembling hand through glass—

blocked, erased,

like I never existed at all.

Yet even now,

my heart traces your shadow,

craving the warmth

of a friend, a smile,

just the smallest bridge back to you.

But the bridge is gone.

You didn’t have the words,

and I didn’t want the lies.

So I stand here—

on the quiet side of my own heart,

learning to let go.

Because sometimes the ones we miss

are the ones we must leave behind—

to find ourselves again,

stronger in the silence.