Between Bruises & Blooms

There were a thousand replies
I never wrote.

Not because
I couldn’t.

Because I finally understood

that peace
is sometimes
measured
by the messages
left unsent.

I never told you
how deeply
your words
searched
for places
already scarred.

I never explained
that every accusation
had to climb
over years
of memories
before it reached me.

I never asked
why.

I stopped believing
there was an answer
that could return
what had already
been broken.

Instead,

I chose
the only response
that ever protected me.

Enough.