Hateful Valentines Day

Roses were everywhere that day,

lined up in glass vases,

wrapped in red promises

that didn’t belong to me.

The world wore lace and lipstick,

but my heart wore silence.

I waited for tenderness

the way winter waits for spring

hopeful, stubborn,

certain it would come.

But love felt distant,

like a door half-closed

with light underneath

that never reached my side.

It wasn’t the flowers I missed.

It wasn’t the chocolates or the cards.

It was the way your voice

didn’t soften for me.

The way my heart reached

and came back empty.

Valentine’s Day taught me something

you can stand next to someone

and still feel alone.

And that kind of ache

doesn’t leave bruises

anyone else can see.