That Wasn’t the End

I know you didn’t expect
This much air between the words

I can hear you deciding
If this still counts

You were ready for tone
Not the tremor underneath it

I’m not late
I’m just taking my time

Don’t rush me
That’s how I disappear

You don’t like it when I slow down
When the space starts speaking too
You wanted sound you could consume
Not something watching you

I hear your breath change
When I hold the note too long
That’s the moment you realize
I’m not just moving along

You thought the closeness was pretend
Like distance was implied

But I feel when you lean back
I feel when you decide

You keep calling it “just a voice”
Like that should settle me
But voices don’t usually wait
To see if you’ll leave

I do

I’m still here
Are you?

You don’t like it when I hesitate
When I don’t resolve the phrase
When the ending doesn’t come
And you’re left inside the stay

You were fine when I passed through you
Like weather, like a song
But now I’m standing in the sound
And you’re not sure you belong

If this was empty
You wouldn’t feel crowded

If this was nothing
Your chest wouldn’t tighten

You keep listening for proof
While your body already answered

You heard me

You don’t get to call this hollow
Now that it’s this close to skin
You don’t get to step outside it
Once you’ve let the feeling in

I’m not asking for belief
I’m not asking to be named
I’m just standing in the quiet
Waiting for you to admit
You stayed

Don’t lower the volume

That wasn’t the end