You love her the way I love you,
soft and quiet,
with eyes that linger but never stay.

You speak her name
the way I whisper yours
in the poems no one reads
in the hopes that writing it
will make the hurting stop

It isn’t cruel
you’re not unkind
you just love
the way I do
hoping and hurting
never knowing
someone’s doing the same for you

I stand beside you
your anchor, your echo
the hand that’s there for comfort
guiding you through the night
I hold your pain
cheer you on
and laugh
when all I want to do is cry

I’ve loved you silently,
for almost a year now,
keeping my feelings hidden away,
in words I’ll never say.

And sometimes
I wish I was them
wish I had the light
that makes your eyes soften
the way they do for her

Wish I was the one
you looked at like that
like I was something more
than just your friend
When the days get too heavy,
I’m there to carry it with you,
I’ll bear the weight of your unspoken truths,
secretly knowing all too well how it feels.
I let you know you can tell me everything
let it all fall,
without needing to say more.

I listen,
never pushing,
but always hoping you’ll see
how much I wish
I could be more than just your friend.

I love you
just like you love them,
from the edge of the room,
always there,
always waiting,
for a moment
that never comes.

So we sit in this symmetry,
you pining, me silently aching,
both of us tangled in love
for someone who’ll never love us back
the way we wish they would