The Version I Don’t Show

There’s a version of me

I don’t introduce people to.

Not because I’m ashamed.

Because explaining them

would take too long.

They live behind my smile,

behind the stories I tell,

behind every “I’m fine”

that leaves my mouth

before I’ve had a chance

to think about it.

They know things.

The weight of regret.

The sound of a heart breaking

without making a noise.

The loneliness

that can exist

even when you’re surrounded

by people who care.

They remember

every goodbye

I pretend doesn’t matter anymore.

Every disappointment

I claimed I was over.

Every night

I spent staring at the ceiling

trying to convince myself

tomorrow would feel different.

And somehow—

they’re still here.

Still carrying pieces of me

I haven’t figured out

how to put back together.

But maybe that’s okay.

Maybe healing

isn’t becoming someone new.

Maybe it’s learning

to stop abandoning

the versions of yourself

that suffered in silence.

Maybe it’s finally sitting beside them

instead of running.

Maybe it’s saying,

I know you’re tired.

I know you’ve carried this alone.

But you don’t have to anymore.

And maybe that’s where it begins—

not with fixing,

not with forgetting,

but with finally

coming home

to yourself.

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