Forever Aching

Deep in my chest

Lies an ever-throbbing ache,

A constant reminder

Of love unreturned.

Late at night, I lie awake,

Dreaming of things that could never be.

A smile, a laugh, a fleeting gaze—

They linger, haunting me

Like an everlasting echo through my mind.

They know I feel something, but do they know the depth?

Do they know there is never a second

They don’t drift through my thoughts?

And if they did know the weight of my heart,

How would it be?

Would they turn away,

As if I were something to be pitied or feared?

Would they stay out of kindness,

Or move on as though my words

Were never spoken at all?

Still, I laugh and smile, pretending all is well,

While inside, I am breaking—

Each word another crack,

Each breath a quiet hope

That someday something might change.