“The Poem I Wrote Before I Knew What Heartbreak Was”

I found an old piece of writing today—

a poem I wrote before I ever knew what it meant

to lose someone you weren’t ready to live without.

The lines were messy,

the handwriting tilted,

but the emotion was real.

I wrote about forever

like it was something you could promise

with a smile in a hallway

or a hand held a little too long.

I believed in love that stayed.

I believed in devotion that didn’t shake.

I believed every warm moment meant something.

Looking back,

I don’t judge myself for that innocence.

I mourn her a little—

the girl who thought forever was simple

because she hadn’t learned yet

that sometimes love doesn’t leave…

it just changes shape.

And maybe that’s what growing up really is—

not losing our softness,

but learning how to hold it

without letting the world break it.