Unseen
by Jan Mariet
Those who silently struggle carry
a thousand untold stories.
They do not speak
of the shadows that cling to them,
or the heaviness
that steals their light.
They become expert at silence,
at suffering quietly behind
locked doors,
hiding everything
in small, hollow words
that reveal
nothing.
They imagine strength, rising
toward growth,
toward creation, toward purpose,
instead of being consumed
by exhaustion
and pain.
Each time they whisper, “I’m fine,“
their mask draws
across the storm inside.
Unrelenting weight
divides a soul in two.
One side reaches for meaning,
for independence, for
the dignity of work
and purpose.
The other side knows
the truth: that
pain will rise,
fatigue
will return,
and each attempt
will crumble to dust.
It is the cruelest battle,
between the boundless soul
that longs to rise
and the weary body
that pulls it back to earth.
(10/10/2025)
