A Yes That Wasn't True

I held your name for almost two, In quiet dreams I never outgrew. A gentle hope I couldn’t hide, That stayed so close, right by my side. Last year I tried, you turned away, I smiled, but something slipped that day, Still, I kept you in my heart, Like something small I couldn’t take apart. Then words got loose, a careless play, My friends let the truth just drift your way. You didn’t laugh, you didn’t run, You reached for me when it was done. Two silent days, no text, no sign, Just waiting, wondering if you were mine. Then April came, so soft, so slow, You said “yes” in a voice so low. You said it kind, you said it sweet, But something felt, not quite complete. Like borrowed words, like gentle care, But not the love I hoped was there. The first week felt like something new, Soft laughs, warm days, a sky so blue. You spoke in ways that felt like art, And placed small flowers in my heart. The second week was light and free, With friends and parks and you and me, I thought, “Maybe this is real,” Maybe this is how love always feels. But then the days began to change, Your quietness grew, your warmth felt strange. At school, you passed me like I’m not even there, Like I’m just air you do not share. No texts, no glance, no gentle sign, No small proof that you were mine. Just empty space where hope once grew, And all my thoughts still filled with you. I wanted the truth, I wanted you, But not a “yes” that wasn’t true, Not one shaped out of empathy, But one that chose to stay with me. So here I stand with quiet tears, Holding love from all these years, So soft, so sweet, yet torn apart, A gentle ache inside my heart. -Mae