We learned the language of efficiency Before we learned how to rest Counted hours, not moments Measured weight, not breath Everything stayed functional Nothing stayed whole Even silence had a purpose Even sleep had a goal They said nothing was wrong Because nothing was loud But quiet things erode you Patiently I keep moving so I don’t harden I keep floating so I don’t sink If this world is built on pressure I’m learning where to bend, not break ( bend… not break… ) We traded names for numbers Faces blurred into roles Learning how to disappear While staying controllable There’s a softness in resistance If you don’t raise your voice A quiet way of choosing When no one calls it choice Progress doesn’t ask permission It just arrives And somehow we’re always late Even when we’re early Maybe meaning isn’t missing Maybe it’s just thin Stretched across too many days To feel it on the skin ( ambient vocal layers ) I keep moving so I don’t harden I keep breathing through the noise If the future hums too loudly I will answer it in poise I won’t shout, I won’t fracture I won’t vanish into speed I’ll stay human in the system I’ll stay slow where they need fast from me ( stay slow… stay slow… ) Not everything that works Works for you
