The In-Between

We smile in daylight, hide in the dark, Each carrying ashes of a fading spark. Loss sits quiet in the back of our minds, Whispering names that time never finds. We wander roads that have no signs, Chasing meaning through tangled lines. Uncertain hearts in borrowed skin, Searching for where we’ve always been. Crowds surround us, yet we’re alone, Echoes louder than any phone. We laugh so no one sees the ache, Pretending the heart doesn’t start to break. Pressure builds like storms inside, To be perfect, strong, or dignified. But cracks appear beneath the weight, As dreams and duty hesitate. Self-doubt creeps in, soft but cold, As hope turns fragile, hard to hold. Fear whispers, “You’re not enough,” And life replies, “But still—stand tough.” Through change we fall, through pain we rise, Through tears we learn the cost of lies. For in the end, both me and you, Are just surviving what we go through.