The Weight of Words

I have heard promises dressed in silk and gold,

Spoken softly, with conviction in the eyes.

Some arrived like spring after a bitter cold,

Some rose like stars across familiar skies.

And for a time, I carried every word,

As though sincerity and truth were one.

I trusted what was spoken and what I heard,

Until the seasons changed and people run.

Yet something in me never turned to stone.

I learned that words are only words, at best. The heart reveals itself by deeds alone;

The truth arrives when time has done the rest.

So now I listen, but I do not cling. I let words pass and watch what actions bring.

Through one ear in, through one ear out they go,

The promises, the vows, the grand display. I neither chase nor argue what I know;

The truth will find its own unhurried way.

They think I do not notice. That I miss

The quiet cracks beneath the polished art.

But I have learned deception’s subtle kiss,

And learned to read the language of the heart.

Still, I will help. Still kindness is my choice. Not weakness simply who I choose to be.

I do not need applause to find my voice, Nor someone’s promise to believe in me.

For peace arrived the day I understood:

My word must matter, even when theirs could.

I stopped searching for certainty in others.

I found it in myself.

And once I did, promises became echoes heard, understood, and released.

-Ysomi