others spill into the river without looking down
they trace no path they simply enter
a stumble becomes a low sweet sound
the world keeps opening for them like a door with no lock
i once let myself be carried too
before i learned what the current takes
i held your hand when you were still learning to walk
i poured my strength into your fragile steps
and watched you grow brave enough to step away
into arms that were not mine
now you look past me
like a room you used to live in
to carry someone to the threshold of their joy
only to be left outside the heavy door
is a grief that has no place to lay its head
so now i stand at the edge measuring every heartbeat
like a spent coin
afraid that to share it is to lose it again
afraid to let another touch what i carry
they link hands and give their breath to strangers
and find it multiplied
i hoard mine in the dark
whole and utterly alone
i watch the whole dance turn without me
a single silhouette
held still by the longing for a flawless song
my chest a mirror trapped in darkness
witness to warmth it cannot keep
—lyra moon (love that fears breaking sits at the feast and starves)
august 22, 2026