You Called, I Hesitated

You called. I hesitated. Not long. Just enough for everything to feel like nothing. Am I tired? Maybe. But sleep doesn’t fix this kind of quiet. Did I lose interest? I don't even know what that means anymore. Everything feels... muted. Like someone turned the volume down on who I used to be. Did I lose love? Or did it just slip through cracks I stopped trying to fill? I don't feel angry. Or sad. Or afraid. I just feel...less. Like I’m watching my own life from the back row, and no one noticed I stopped clapping. You called. And I saw your name and thought, "I should feel something." But I didn't. Not hate. Not longing. Just silence where emotion used to live. This isn't about you. Or us. It’s me somewhere I can’t reach right now. You called. I hesitated. Not to be cruel. Not to be cold. Just to see if I’d feel anything before I answered. I didn’t. So I didn’t.