For so long, I lived like a clenched fist,
knuckles white, breath shallow,
ready to run, ready to fight,
never ready to rest.
I learned love as a currency,
as something you trade,
as something that disappears
when the ground shakes too hard.
But here I am, still standing,
still open, still choosing to see
light in the places that once held only shadows.
I have every reason to be hardened,
to guard, to doubt, to turn away.
But I don't.
I won't.
Because softness is strength,
and love is defiance,
and I am still here—
not just surviving,
but feeling,
trusting,
loving,
anyway
YOU ARE READING
ache & after
PoetryAche & After is a poetry collection about emotional aftermath. It explores love that bruises, loss that lingers, trauma that reshapes, and the slow, imperfect process of healing. Written through moments of grief, longing, survival, and self-discover...
