Stronger Than Silence
I do not fear quiet anymore.
I no longer measure my worth
by who stays
or who leaves.
My strength is not in being desired.
It is in knowing myself.
I speak when necessary.
I walk away when needed.
I stay when it aligns.
I am not hardened.
I am refined.
Fire did not destroy me.
Silence did not erase me.
Love did not define me.
I define me.
And that —
is louder
than anything
I ever endured quietly.