Dear You,

I used to check if you were online on TikTok,
almost sent you memes,
then remembered the day you broke something,
and stayed silent instead.

I helped you through your breakup,
listened while your heart cracked open.

I watched shows at night,
lovers finding each other on screen,
and wondered quietly when my time would come—
if it would ever be with you.

Then you said, “what if we date each other?”
Morning came: “Sorry, I thought you knew I was joking.”

I cried to my friends, smiled at you, pretended.
Maybe I mattered little to you,
but you were never just a joke to me.

—Me