Something we don't tell anyone

We carry things in our hearts
Unfit for speech,
Unable to find their way into words.

We continue our days as usual,
Laughing, working, planning,
While inside,
Silent battles rage,
Unheard by anyone.

Some pains don't need a solution,
But understanding,
And don't seek advice,
But a moment of truth
With ourselves.

We discover with time
That survival isn't always victory,
Sometimes survival
Is simply weathering the storm
And still standing.

We are not weak because we tire,
Nor broken because we hesitate,
We are human,
Learning how to continue the journey
With a heart less hardened against itself.

And what we don't tell anyone
Doesn't disappear,
But it teaches us
How to listen to ourselves more,
And how to be kind
When the world isn't kind.