I could feel them just beneath the surface,
words waiting to be spoken,
to reveal how important you were to me,
but they never broke free.
And they never have.
I wanted to be by your side,
I wanted to belong to you
but my voice would not speak,
the words collected in my throat,
and I choked.
In every single incarnation of you,
I am afraid to sound stupid.
I’m afraid that what I feel
would be, in your eyes, ridiculous.
I’m afraid to take that risk,
to trust someone to feel the same.

© Johanna Fugitt 2017