Gilded Cage

 



The silence is deafening. It wasn’t always this way. This emptiness is not my companion, nor this cold screen the only one I confided in. Where did the laughter go? When did the easy conversations dry up, replaced by an awkward dance of stolen glances and forced smiles?


It all happened so gradually. A slow erosion I didn’t even notice. Validation drug. Cheering crowd. I built a world that glittered on the surface but crumbled in my grasp. I convinced myself it was harmless. Like a fun escape. But the escape became a cage. And you’re on the outside, peering in with lost eyes.


Oh, how I wish I could rewind. Trade a thousand praises for the warmth of your hand in mine. See the summer lakes return to your eyes. Sparkling with laughter, not hurt. What once was bridge became a wall now. Shutting you out further.


The guilt weighs heavily on my chest. The memory of your question echoes in my mind:


“It’s everything, lately. It’s like I barely exist since you erect this fence around your burgeoning empire. And I feel like I’m just standing here, watching you drift away. Tell me, does your heart still yearn for me?”


Do I even know the answer anymore?


Love. I used to throw that word around so easily. But stripped bare. In the harsh light of reality, it feels fragile. Tarnished.


This gilded cage I clung to offered a hollow sense of belonging. But the profound paradise was right here. Right beside me. And I let it slip away.


Can I even blame you for walking away? The echo of your footsteps on the porch feels like a lifetime ago. Yet the emptiness you left behind feels like a gaping wound. I know there will be apologies, bridges to rebuild, and trust to reclaim. But the hardest part is facing myself. The girl I became lost in the glow of the maze, the girl who almost let love fade away into the silence.

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