Behind the Quiet Eyes

He smiles, though the weight is heavy,

his laughter stitched with threadbare seams,

a silent storm within him rages,

unseen in daylight, heard in dreams.

They told him strength means silence,

that tears should never leave his face,

but strength is found in honest voices,

in reaching out, in shared embrace.

The world may ask for armor,

for shoulders broad and hearts of stone,

yet even heroes need a moment

to say, “I can’t do this alone.”

So listen when his words grow shallow,

stand beside him when he hides,

for even men with walls around them

have softer hearts they keep inside.

And may he know that healing lingers

not in silence, not in shame,

but in the light of spoken burdens,

in calling sorrow by its name.