Quiet Weight

I wake up with something heavy

that doesn’t have a name

It sits there

through the morning

through the hours I trade for numbers

that never seem to stretch far enough

I do things the right way

not for applause

just because I don’t know how not to

Still—

the days pass like closed doors

and I’m left wondering

what any of it builds toward

There’s a silence

that grows when you start choosing carefully

Less noise

less chaos

but also

less voices

less invitations

less proof that you exist

in anyone else’s day

People talk about plans

like sparks that never catch

and I’ve learned

some fires are only meant

to feel warm for a second

before they disappear

I could learn the other way

how to smile at the right time

say the right things

treat moments like transactions

but something in me resists

I don’t want to become

someone who feels hollow

just to feel included

So I stay where I am

trying

showing up

holding more than I say

and sometimes

it spills out anyway

quietly

where no one sees

I don’t need much

just something real

something that stays

something that answers back

Until then

I carry it

and keep going

even on the days

it feels like I’m walking

with no destination at all