Chapter 6 - Where I Go When I Go Quiet

Haiku 1 – Vanishing

When I go quiet,I'm not lost—I'm just rewatchingevery lie you breathed.

Poem: "Shrinking Room"

I don't get loud anymore.I don't storm out,don't break things,don't beg.

I just start responding slower.Smiling less.Leaving first.Forgetting to come back.

And when they finally notice,I'm already history they can't revise.

One-line Reflection:

I don't ghost. I fade like a warning you ignored too long.

Haiku 2 – Stillness

Some days I feel less—not empty, just too awareto pretend I care.

Poem: "Unreachable"

You keep asking if I'm okaylike it's a button you can pressto make me speak again.

But I've built palaces in my silence.And you don't have the keysto anything I lock twice.

One-line Reflection:

Don't mistake quiet for peace. Sometimes it's just me trying not to detonate.

Haiku 3 – Emotional Exhaustion

I've loved loud before—but silence keeps me warmerthan apologies.

Poem: "Unread Message"

I type full paragraphsand delete them.Not because I'm afraid.But because I've learnedsome people don't deserveeven your restraint in writing.

One-line Reflection:

I'll stop talking when I realize I'm the only one listening.