My Poem for Him

3

The Heart Emoji

You —
tall like the sky I kept reaching for,
a quiet presence
on a court full of noise,
your eyes never loud,
your soul soft beneath the stillness.

I watched you move
like silence had a rhythm,
like calm had a heartbeat —
and mine kept skipping
just to match yours.

One night,
I asked if I could draw you —
not just your face,
but the way you looked
when you thought no one saw you.

You sent a heart.
Just that.
No words.
And somehow it said too much
and not enough.

I waited,
days folding into each other,
hope tightening quietly
around my ribs.

"When can I give it to you?" I asked,
but you never answered.
And silence
can be so loud
when you're the only one listening.

So I said it —
Goodnight, crush.
Soft. Small. Honest.
A goodbye disguised
as a confession.

A month passed.
No reply.
Only the ache of being seen
just enough
to keep wondering —
but not enough
to stay.

And now,
I think I've been muted,
restricted,
faded into the background
of your life
like I never made a mark at all.

But I did draw you.
And maybe you'll never hold it.
But in that sketch
is every second
I believed you were worth loving —
even when you couldn't
(or wouldn't)
say if I should stop.