THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY

There are words

that live behind the teeth,

waiting for courage

to give them a name.

There are apologies

we rehearse in empty rooms,

conversations we have

with people who are no longer there.

Sometimes silence

is not peace.

Sometimes it is a crowded place

filled with everything

we were too afraid to say.

I have carried sentences

like stones in my pockets

“I miss you.”

“I was hurt.”

“I needed you.”

“I should have stayed.”

“I should have left.”

I carried them for so long

that they became heavier

than the truth itself.

And I learned

that time does not always heal.

Sometimes time simply teaches us

how to live around the wound.

So tonight,

I am opening every locked door

inside my heart.

Not because I know

what waits behind it,

but because I am tired

of being haunted

by words I never spoke.

If you loved me,

I hope you knew.

If I hurt you,

I am sorry.

If you were important to me,

I hope my silence

did not convince you otherwise.

And if there is still a chance

for words to reach you,

let them find you gently.

Because tomorrow

is not promised,

and some feelings

should not have to become memories

before they are finally spoken.

So I will say it now

I cared.

I cared more than I showed.

And perhaps

that is the saddest thing

about the things we never say:

sometimes,

they are the things

we mean the most.