🥀 No One Sees the Damage That Behaves Well | A Short Poem

 

No one sees
the damage
that behaves well.

The kind that says
“thank you”
and “I’m okay”
with enough conviction
to keep the room comfortable.

The kind that still
shows up on time.
Still replies politely.
Still remembers birthdays.

Still knows how to make itself
easy to be around
even when it is quietly
falling apart.

Not all pain looks the way we expect it to.

Sometimes the person who is struggling is still showing up. Still answering messages. Still making people laugh. Still saying, “I’m okay.”

We should be careful about assuming that someone is fine simply because they are functioning.

This September, I hope we can make more room for honest conversations and check in on the people we love, not just with “How are you?” but sometimes with the patience to listen to the real answer.

This excerpt is from Yes, I Cry., my poetry collection about grief, heartbreak, sorrow, emotional exhaustion, and the quiet pain people often carry unseen.

You never truly know what someone may be carrying.
So be kind.
And when you can, ask twice.

- Makitia Thompson
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