forward

i washed the tea cup
you never drank from
it sat full
for days
just like me

you said you needed silence
but left the volume on
when you walked away
now everything echoes
your name
is the loudest thing
in this house

i stitched new prayers
into the hem of my breath
soft, aching prayers
for movement
for answers
for anything
but this stillness
masquerading as peace

i water the plant
by the window
watch it lean
toward the light
like it’s asking
how to forgive
like it
i bend
toward hope
even when it burns

you say
you want to move forward
but your feet
are buried in yesterday.
and i
i’ve been paving this road
with every truth
you left unsaid

there is a version of me
that doesn’t wait at the door
that doesn’t rewrite goodbye
as maybe
that doesn’t carry
both our sadnesses
in my chest

but i’m not her
not yet
i am the space
between your breath and your leaving
the flicker
before the flame goes out
the silence
before
we finally
move
forward