I Didn’t Hide It This Time

Someone said, “You looked sad today.” As if today was different. As if the sadness arrived instead of lives here. Most days, I bury it quietly, carefully, under practiced smiles and soft laughter that never reaches my eyes. But today— I was tired. Too tired to tighten the mask or straighten the edges of my voice. So the sadness showed. Not loudly. Not desperately. Just honestly. And someone finally saw it. Not the whole ache— just the part that slipped through.