The Version They Never Knew

The Version They Never Knew

They knew the smile and easy answers

The version that could always cope

The one who stayed calm through the storms

And somehow still held hope

They never saw the longer nights

When thoughts arrived and would not leave

When questions sat beside the bed

And tired eyes refused to sleep

They never knew how much I changed

Inside the places no one sees

How many times I stood back up

With shaking hands and silent pleas

I became someone unfamiliar

Someone stronger and more aware

Someone who no longer offered

Everything just to keep people there

There were losses I never explained

Lessons I never spoke aloud

Because some things become too personal

To place inside a crowd

And still I stayed soft where I could

Not everyone deserves the blame

Life teaches people differently

And hearts do not stay the same

Now I protect my peace more carefully

Without becoming cold or closed

I simply learned my own value

And stopped living through others most

The version they never truly knew

Is the one who carried me through

And I think she deserves more credit

Than she ever knew she was due

#Marie381UkWriter