What remains...

I’ve walked through shadows, seen the pain behind the light, Lived long enough to know that nothing ends outright. Grief whispers softly in the corners of my mind, Love too has a rhythm, it’s a dance that’s intertwined. They don’t just vanish, they settle like the dust, Waiting for my heart to open, a gentle kind of trust. There are rooms in my memory most glance at and quickly leave, I linger in the stillness; it’s in those spaces I grieve. Not fearless, not heroic, but I chose to stay around, Leaving meant abandoning the self that can be found. Loss rearranged my chest, a puzzle that still breathes, Some loves burned so deeply, they left a mark that never leaves. They come back quieter, like echoes in the night, Truths hidden in the quiet, pulling me into the light. I’m listening differently now, letting love and pain have their say, My heart’s still open wide, nothing left to hide. Addiction brushed so close and wore the faces of those dear, Including my own reflection, holding so much fear. I hear what isn’t spoken, the tightening of a breath, I don’t rush the conversation, I honor every depth. I mistook intensity for what love is meant to be, Sacred moments shattered, familiar pain was the key. But now I know my edges, they’re borders, not just walls, Love can flow through freely, without taking it all. I don’t need every answer, just what’s real enough to hold, Finding quiet in the chaos, letting the truth unfold. Changing shapes of love and loss, forever intertwined, I’ll keep choosing the quiet path, for that’s where my true self lies.