i told myself
i don’t miss him.
i rehearsed it in the mirror
like a line in a play
that didn’t quite sound right.

i swore i stopped caring
about where he goes,
who he calls,
what he forgets.

but then he leaves
and somehow
my heart checks the time
as if it still runs on his schedule.

he made me feel things
i thought only lived in movies,
you know
when someone just gets you
without needing to say a word.
just hands,
just presence,
just him,
and my favorite song
three times in a row,
like he was trying to memorize me
in lyrics.

but what if it wasn’t that deep for him?
what if i made it all up
in my hope-shaped head?
what if he just said
everything i wanted to hear
because i was listening,
because i was soft,
because i made love easy?

he held me
like i was the last spark of warmth
in his cold, distracted world.
he looked at me
like maybe
just maybe
i was the thing he never knew he needed.

different.
chill.
warm.
safe.

but now he’s gone.
not all the way
just enough to hurt.

and i’m left
picking petals off memories,
asking
was it real?
was i?

There is power in not getting offended easily.
When people can’t decode your emotions,
they can’t manipulate them.
When their strength, beauty, or brilliance
doesn’t shake your sense of self
they lose their grip on your peace.

You become untouchable.

When you stop playing victim,
when you let life knock you down but not break you
You cry.
You feel it.
You deal with it.
And then you get up and try again.
You restart, if necessary.
You rebuild.

Because when you know you’ve done your part
when you’ve shown up,
loved right,
been kind,
treated people how you would want to be treated
and they still broke your heart?
That’s not on you.

They weren’t meant to stay.
And if they were,
they’ll come back when they’re ready
if they’re ever ready.

But in the meantime:
Get up.
Put your life together.
Because life and time don’t pause
for anyone to piece themselves back together.

The world. Moves. On.

So should you.

They always have time
when they need a favor,
when you’re holding the key
to something they want.

They call you when they miss you
but do they even miss you?
Or do they just miss the feeling,
the comfort, the easy warmth
of someone who sees them
when the world turns cold.

When you need them
the line goes silent.
When they’re having a moment
your name rings loud,
as if you were the answer
to a question they barely understand.

They like mystery
until they miss the ordinary.
They like magic
but only the kind
they can hold without fear.

They like cute,
they like quiet
until they crave noise.
They like your chaos
until it spills over the edges
they swore they could handle.

They like you…
until you haunt them in their sleep.
Until your absence tastes heavier
than your presence ever did.

They never stay.
They never mean to.
They linger
just long enough
for you to hold a room
for their inconsistencies,
to make space in your chest
for their half-kept promises.

They like what they hear,
but when what they see
becomes too real
too honest,
too you
they flinch.

They like you when they see you,
forget you when they don’t.
And then they pop back up
I miss you.
I wish you were here.

But they were never real.
Because you
you were never theirs.

BE AM-*****-OUS.

Learn how to say no.
Just because the “nice girl” always ends up with the “bad boy” in movies doesn’t mean you have to suffer just to be loved the right way.

If something doesn’t feel right, speak up.
Say no.

All those rules telling you to shrink yourself, to give up your peace just to seem like a “good person”?
Burn them.
Let them think you're a bad person as long as they learn to respect you for standing your ground.

Be that girl.
The one who does what she needs to do not what everyone wants her to do.

Tell them no.
Tell them you're busy.
Tell them you’ve got other things to focus on because you do.
Even if what you’ve got planned is a nap? Baby, that’s valid.
Cancel that date.
Miss that call if it’s gonna drain you.

Protect your peace like it’s sacred. Because it is.
Be bold.
Be clear.
Be AM-*****-OUS.