The One Who Walked Alone

In some homes

laughter can be heard from the doorway,

there are hands that hold dreams,

voices that say

"I’m proud of you."

In others…

there is only silence.

I grew up in that silence.

There were no applauses when I tried something new,

no arms to catch me when I fell.

My dreams were things I kept hidden,

like secret letters

between the pages of notebooks.

If I wanted to learn something,

I did it in secret.

If I wanted to create something,

I did it when no one was looking.

Because no one ever asked

what lived inside my heart.

Sometimes it hurt…

to see others walking with support,

while I was learning

how to stand on my own.

I wondered

why some people are born surrounded by support

while others

are born surrounded by absence.

But time…

that silent teacher

taught me something.

Loneliness is not always a punishment.

Sometimes it is a refuge

that protects you

from hands that want to break you,

from voices that wish for your fall,

from false smiles

that can even come from family.

And then I understood.

That my steps,

even if they were lonely,

were real.

That my dreams,

even if no one celebrated them,

were still alive.

That it is better to walk alone

with a peaceful heart

than to be surrounded by people

who secretly hope you fail.

Because the one who learns to rise alone

doesn’t depend on anyone to keep going.

And even if the world

sometimes feels unfair…

the person who survived the silence

becomes stronger

than all the voices together.

@newgirldark