I stayed afloat
because of you—
your voice, your arms,
your quiet strength.
I held on,
thinking you were the anchor,
unshaken by the waves
that kept pulling me under.
But what I failed to see—
was the way your hands trembled
while keeping mine steady,
the way your chest rose heavy
from the battles I never asked about.
While I clung to you for light,
you were trying not to sink
beneath your own storm.
We were both drowning,
but too in love, too afraid—
to let go.
—
*image: miguel bandeira / unsplash
