Still Here, Quietly

I leave the light on longer than I need
Just to feel like something’s waiting
Your name comes up, I don’t press delete
I let it sit, like it’s thinking

You said you’d call when things made sense
But nothing ever really does
I stopped asking what you meant
I learned the sound of almost-love

I don’t reach out
But I don’t move on
I stay somewhere in between

I’m still here, quietly
Not holding on, not letting go
If you ever look back for me
I’ll be where you left me, I suppose

I don’t need apologies
Or reasons you couldn’t stay
I’m still here, quietly
Learning how to feel this way

Your silence doesn’t hurt like before
It just feels familiar now
Like a door I don’t knock on anymore
But notice every time I pass it around

I replay things you didn’t say
More than the words you gave
It’s strange what your absence makes me keep
And what it finally lets me save

I don’t reach out
But I still care
I don’t know why that’s true

I’m still here, quietly
Not holding on, not letting go
If you ever look back for me
I’ll be where you left me, I suppose

I don’t need apologies
Or reasons you couldn’t stay
I’m still here, quietly
Learning how to feel this way

Maybe this is what it means
To love without needing proof
To let a feeling lose its edge
But keep its shape, keep its truth

I don’t need you to come back
I just needed time to know
That I can miss you gently
And still be whole

I’m still here, quietly
Breathing in what used to ache
If you ever think of me
I hope it doesn’t hurt this way

No goodbyes, no certainty
Just the calm after the sound
I’m still here, quietly
Standing where I set you down

The light’s still on
But I don’t wait anymore