When I Wasn't Enough, I Still Stayed

I gave everything and more to people who only wanted pieces. I stayed long after they stopped looking at me like I mattered. I laughed so they wouldn’t notice the cracks. I showed up so they couldn’t say I didn’t try. But some hearts are locked from the inside. And I never had the key. They told me I was strong as if that made the silence less loud. I wanted to be someone’s first choice. But I was their backup plan. Their “maybe.” Their “not now.” Their “if things change.” And still, I stayed. Not because I lacked pride but because I had hope. Now I look back and see the version of me who waited, who hoped, who broke quietly in their absence. And I want to tell him: you were enough. You were just in the wrong place with the wrong ones.