silent goodbyes

They don't say it,

but the silence speaks volumes.

The room feels smaller now,

the distance between us

stretching with every breath I take.

I reached out for their hands,

hoping for warmth,

but their eyes turned cold.

They couldn't understand

why I needed to change,

why my skin,

my voice,

my heart

no longer fit the shape

they had given me.

And so, I learned the hard way:

sometimes love means letting go,

even when you don't want to.

I carry the weight of their absence

like a stone in my chest,

but the stone sharpens my edges

and makes me stronger.