I'm a hollow man, but you still know who I am

I took my heart out because I don’t think I can love anymore…

I held it in my hands, dripping echoes on the floor.

It whispered names I’ve tried to forget,

Each beat a memory, each pulse a regret.

I buried it under silence, beneath a bed of shame,

Where no sunlight touches, and no lips call my name.

It throbbed once for mercy, twice for release,

Then went still like the grave—finally at peace.

I stitched my chest with threads of ice and stone,

Built walls from the tears I cried alone.

No more warmth, no more flame,

Just shadows repeating the same cursed name.

They say love heals—but mine only burned,

Turned me to ash, left lessons unlearned.

Now I haunt my own skin like a ghost in disguise,

A hollow man with tired eyes.

So don’t offer me kindness—I’ll only choke,

And don’t hand me hope—it’s a cruel joke.

I took my heart out because love was a war,

And I lost every battle.

I wake up tired with a smile on my face,

Hiding the war I’m still fighting—just moving in place.

They see a calm sea, but inside it’s a flood,

I’ve been bleeding for years but got used to the blood.

Can’t talk about the weight—it’s not what men do,

So I swallow the screams and just push on through.

Strong on the surface, but hollow beneath,

No rest for the soul when the pain never sleeps.

I walk through the world like I’m fine on my own,

But truth is, I’ve never felt more alone.

Every step forward’s a battle to survive,

Some days I don’t live—I just stay alive.

They lean on me like I’m stone or steel,

But never once ask what I really feel.

I laugh at the jokes, nod at the noise,

But inside I’ve forgotten the sound of my voice.

I give all I have, but it’s never enough,

Cause no one checks in on the man who looks tough.

I’ve learned how to function with pieces that shake,

Smiling through heartache I never could shake.

I’ve mastered the art of being okay,

While parts of me slowly wither away.

They praise my strength but don’t see the cost,

How much of myself I’ve silently lost.

Still I wake, still I breathe, still I stand in the fight—