Ramon Riveraalmena Poet Free verse

Seen, Not Saved

You hold a story of me that is not mine,
the version that smiles,
makes polite conversation,
tells just enough truth
to keep you satisfied.

But you’ve never witnessed the war.
How I fight against the silence,
how it curls into my lungs
until breathing is tantamount to failure.

I wake some mornings
to the sound of me thinking my own thoughts,
too loud, too sharp,
examining every small detail
I could’ve done differently.

They don’t teach you how to shed shame,
how to stop staring at yourself
as if something needs to be repaired.

You say,
"Talk to me."
But there’s no correct way to prepare
that I do not wish to be saved—
just sat with.
Just seen.
Without the expectation
of putting myself into words.

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Ink Empress December 11, 2024 at 11:21 PM This is so powerful and just soul stirring! Youv expressed your thoughts so seamlessly here and so many lines in this stood out for me like “ They don’t teach you how to unlearn shame “ so true and also about how you wake up with thoughts too loud making it difficult to navigate through the day. And the ending is so profound! I think yes many don’t understand that sometimes all we need is a listening ear not to be told what needs to be done etc. just patience and kindness is what we need. This is a poem that many can resonate with as so many today go through similar emotions. Pleasure reading. Sending you light Ramon Riveraalmena December 12, 2024 at 7:59 AM Thank you! I had already written the ending before I wrote the poem. We've all been there.