Before I knew words,I knew warmth—in the love that your eyes shone,in the soft curves of your arms,in your beating heart that held me steadyin your hush lullabies that sent me to dreamland—so safe, so sound. Before I took my first step,I knew I was safe—with your voice so encouraging,with your arms ready to catch …

Where do I ever begin to make senseof the reality of almost having you… The ghost of all the questions I hadare now staring at me—Silent, yet sharperthan any answer you could give. How do I make senseof the time we hadbut wasn’t able to grasp? How do I make senseof your sure heart,yet, you …

How quickly you turn things at me… You said,“𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅’𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓…” Why?Would it matter if I stayed longer? Would it change those times youmade me feel alone—fighting hard for us,while you stood still, watching me trying so hard? Would it erase that image of mein my head that made me so small,because I …

I used to wait for signs.A white rose?A butterfly?A rainbow—falling stars at night. I wait patiently for that divine green light,Because I believe it always means; 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞… To go,To decide,To take the leap or not,Or to simply just be in the right. But life doesn’t come with a manual,It is in moments… Sometimes—too raw,too …

I held my piece…Because I am trying to hold onto that comfort of knowingwe’ve got something special,ours only—one where we can builda future together. But I never thoughtthat holding my piecewill cost me my peace… Because no matter how I tried to hideand patch things up,the cracks are slowly showing… And a turmoil within me …

Not every piece fits,just like—not every storyfinds its happy ending… Some just unravelled in silence,some vanished before they wereever written. 𝐎𝐮𝐫𝐬?It never made it pastthe margin of lines. It was a draft—unfinished,folded in the creasesof almosts, maybes, and what-ifs. —*image: sindy strife / unsplash

Let me have this moment,Let me own this space I am standing,Let me bask in the rays of the sun—feeling my own heart, hearing my own breathing. And in the most profound way, whispers…“Masaya na ako kahit hindi pa buo.” Because—there was a time…that pain was all I had,that pain was where I lived,that pain …

“𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈…”You said… I nodded, respecfullyand leave quietly. I thought hearing those wordswould wreck me, but—I am fine. Maybe because I already knewthat we stopped being everything a long time ago. Or maybe because—I’ve rehearsed that goodbye in my headcountless of times…In moments you never noticed,in the silences that stretched where they shouldn’t,in …

𝑰𝒇 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖… Maybe…I wouldn’t be—𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 broken, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 empty, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 lost.. Maybe…I’d still recognize my own voicepleading and asking me to give myselfa chance to be heard. But instead—I mastered the art of silencing itjust to hear yours louder. I gave 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 for youand left 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 for me. …

𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝑶𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑭𝑹𝑨𝑮𝑰𝑳𝑬 𝑴𝑬… I hear you.I remember your cries,your silence,your aching… Who doesn’t?When I carried them all. I no longer bendfor love that demands pain as proof.No longer offer my heartto hands that only takes. I cried many times,bend my knees when I could no longercarry the burden of expectations… But despite that—I know …