that embraces quietly.
Just a softness
you refuse to name.
The caress that's not
a longing yet.
A longer pause in
a conversation.
A sentence that almost
says too much-
A silence that you hope
this person would
eventually comprehend.
Hidden in hints,
Sarcastically weaved
sentences and carefully
dropped emojis-
A cautious glance not
ready to be caught.
An ambiguous distance
that isn't ready to
take chances--
But one day,
when this person asks
about it upfront-
You feel exposed.
It's like a secret being
dragged out in the open
before you barely
admitted it to yourself-
So you laugh it off
and go into denial.
You're offended in a
weird way? or
You feel guilty about
the same?
You aren't ready for
the mirror that's held
infront of you, are you?
Maybe you're afraid of
naming it.
Naming something
makes it real.
And real things can be
refused-
You wonder if fear of
rejection is acting up again.
Days pass. The hints stop.
The pauses shrink.
The softness dries up
as you retreat into yourself.
Somewhere between
pride and fear,
A small unnamed love
dies quietly.
What could have grown
into a story is filed away as
misunderstanding.
Not rejected,
Never confessed-
Just embarrassed
out of existence.