a place for what couldn’t be carried anymore

Not admired strong—necessary strong.

This space exists for what had to be carried quietly.

This isn’t performance.

wasn’t from what happened.

it was from minimizing it.

from being told i was strong

instead of being asked if i was okay.

from carrying things well

and therefore being handed more.

strength is admirable.

because most of it doesn’t sound dramatic when explained.

it just looked like being reliable.

being calm.

being “mature.”

it looked like handling things quietly

so no one else had to.

survival isn’t always loud.