Love, Written Softly

Love did not arrive like thunder,
it came the way dawn does—
quiet, patient,
asking nothing of the dark except permission to pass.

It sat beside me
when I had nothing impressive to offer,
no victories polished for display,
no brave speeches rehearsed.
Just breath.
Just being.

Love learned my silences
before it learned my name.
It understood the pauses in my sentences,
the way my hands hesitate
before trusting warmth again.
It never rushed me into becoming more
than I was ready to be.

This love doesn’t shout.
It doesn’t beg for witnesses.
It exists in the ordinary—
shared glances across cluttered rooms,
fingers brushing by accident
and staying on purpose.

It forgives in lowercase letters.
It stays when pride would rather leave.
It builds homes out of small moments:
a cup of tea cooling untouched,
a laugh that interrupts sadness,
a shoulder that doesn’t ask questions.

I used to think love was fire—
bright, consuming, dangerous.
But now I know
real love is a steady light
left on for you
when you’re not sure
you deserve to be seen.

If love must be proven,
let it be proven gently.
Let it be proven by presence,
by showing up on the days
when poetry feels impossible
and all you can offer
is honesty.

This is how love stays—
not loud enough to impress the world,
but strong enough
to hold one human heart
without breaking it.