Question

What It Left Behind


No one sees the bruise
that isn’t on the skin.
It doesn’t change color.
It doesn’t fade on schedule.
It just settles in
and calls itself part of you.
Emotional pain is quieter than people expect.
It doesn’t beg for attention.
It waits.
It listens.
It shows up when you’re alone
and honest for half a second too long.
You learn how to function around it.
Smile correctly.
Answer “I’m fine” with practice.
Keep moving so no one notices
how heavy standing still feels.
Some days it’s dull
a background ache,
easy to ignore if you stay busy.
Other days it sharpens,
unexpected,
like a memory you didn’t invite
but can’t send away.
You replay moments
that ended before you were ready,
words that landed too deep,
silences that said more
than anything spoken.
The past doesn’t shout.
It whispers at night,
in the space between thoughts,
asking if you remember
how it felt
to lose something you never got closure for.
Healing is supposed to mean letting go,
but no one talks about
how empty that can feel
how pain can become familiar,
almost grounding,
because at least it proves
you cared.
So you carry it.
Not because you want to,
but because it stayed.
Because some wounds
don’t know how to leave
without taking a piece of you.
You are not shattered.
You are not weak.
You are layered
built from things that hurt
and didn’t destroy you,
even when they tried.
And some nights,
that’s enough.

Answer 1

oh wow this is so real

Answer 2

I love this so muchh bc its soo true <33