Echoes in the quiet

They say the world is full of voices, But mine gets lost among the sound. A whisper drowned by louder choices, A silence no one seems to hound. I walked through halls of hollow laughter, Their eyes slid past like I was air. I smiled, and moments later, after, They left—and I was still not there. My name, a note they never mention, My thoughts, a sea they’ll never sail. They see a mask, not the dimension Of hearts that hurt but never wail. I used to scream into the night, But shadows never do reply. Now I just breathe—too tired to fight— And learn to live, not asking why.