Chapter 16: in the absence of your love

a journey in my own skinWords: 534

I used to believe that love

could bridge any gap.

But now I see the chasm

between who I was

and who they thought I should be.

I see their faces—

not in anger,

but in sorrow.

They mourn the person I used to be,

the version of me that fit

their world better.

I try to reach across that gap,

but the distance is too great,

and the words they won't say

hang heavy in the air,

suffocating the love we once shared.

So, I let go.

I carry their absence with me,

but I won't let it break me.

In the absence of their love,

I will find my own.