Aftershocks

I said your name out of habit, not desire, but the silence felt like standing in a room you set on fire. Every hallway holds a memory that I trip on when I move I’ve been breathing in the remnants of a truth I never proved. My voice cracks trying to surface, like it’s scared of being heard. Every thought turns violent when I can’t control the words. I sift through the broken pieces, hoping something might forgive searching for a version of me that still remembers how to live. Weak pulse, cracked bones, all the weight I can’t postpone. Tongue feels heavy, mind runs cold I drown in the quiet you once controlled. I’m reaching out, but the ground keeps breaking, every step forward feels like something’s shaking. In this night where the lights grow dim, I swear I’ll rise past the ruins of him. I’m reaching out not for you, but me. For the person I deserve to be. Hear me now… I won’t fade out. You held me down, you kept me small… but the cracks you left helped me feel it all. When I break apart, I learn my name… I’m more than the hurt you tried to claim. You don’t get to define me anymore. I’m stepping out on my own damn feet, no more sinking just to feel complete. If the world caves in, let it take the past I’m done being fragile, I’m built to last. I’m stepping out, and I finally see all the aftershocks never shattered me. Hear me now… I’m finally free.