#silentstrength
“What We Carry in Silence”
***
There are things we talk about —
the weather,
our kit,
the food,
the daft things that happened
out on exercise.
And then there are the things
we don’t.
The fear.
The doubt.
The moments that shook us.
The faces we still see
when the room goes quiet.
We don’t say them out loud
because we don’t need to.
The lads already know.
A nod,
a look,
a hand on the shoulder —
that’s enough.
Words are for civvies.
We deal in silence,
shared understanding,
and the unspoken truth
that we’d go through it all again
for each other.
The only words that matter are—
For each other.
Apr 30
Apr 30, 2026 at 3:52 AM UTC
She’s bends at the waist,
but don’t mistake that for weakness.
It’s the weight of life—
the dishes, the laundry, the paperwork,
the kids with their stories and questions
stacked high on her back
like a globe that never stops spinning.
They sit up there,
laughing, reading,
wrapped in comfort she built from scratch.
They don’t see the strain in her shoulders,
the ache in her silence,
the way she folds her tired body into love
and just keeps going.
No spotlight.
No applause.
Just quiet strength
walking and working through the day
like it’s normal
to carry the whole world
and still make tea.
By Paul Baldry (LongJohn)
Apr 29
Apr 29, 2026 at 5:21 AM UTC
I’ve turned into a person
who smiles at heartbreaks,
becomes silent when angry,
and still chooses to prioritize others over myself—
not because I am strong all the time,
but because I am learning how to be.
Apr 2
Apr 2, 2026 at 10:35 AM UTC
Sometimes the past sits on my shoulders,
heavy as a winter sky,
and I feel the cold
of every night I thought I was alone.
I learned to keep small fires inside me,
to light them quietly,
so they wouldn’t startle anyone else.
A laugh, a memory, a rhythm—
tiny sparks in a world
that wanted me to be still.
I carry them still,
these little fires,
proof that I survived,
proof that even when the storm rages,
a small flame can guide the way home.
Mar 9
Mar 9, 2026 at 3:24 PM UTC
There’s a space I remember,
between what I saw and what I was told.
A room with no doors,
only windows I couldn’t open.
I learned to speak in half-truths,
to nod when I didn’t understand,
to carry the weight of voices
that weren’t mine.
Time passed like dust in sunlight—
soft, blinding, impossible to hold.
And yet I moved through it,
learning that even when the air is heavy,
a breath is still a victory.
Somewhere in that room,
I left pieces of myself,
tiny fragments of courage
waiting to be found again.
Mar 9
Mar 9, 2026 at 3:21 PM UTC
We only spoke through voices,
distance humming through the line,
but sometimes you don’t need to see someone
to recognise a familiar silence.
I could hear it in the pauses,
in the careful way the words were chosen,
like every sentence had already been checked
before it was allowed to breathe.
Children learn that skill early
in houses where storms live.
Which truths are safe to say.
Which ones must stay buried
somewhere behind the ribs.
I know that language.
I was once a child
who heard half the story
and carried twice the weight.
The quiet conversations behind doors,
the names whispered with tension,
the strange feeling of understanding
things no one ever explained.
And somehow the pieces children are given
are never the ones that make sense.
Sometimes the story changes
depending on who is telling it.
Sometimes the truth gets bent
so the people holding it
don’t have to look too closely at themselves.
Children don’t question that.
They just hold the pieces they’re given
and try to make a world out of them.
But the heart notices things
long before the mind understands them.
That quiet confusion.
That heavy feeling
that something doesn’t quite fit.
I remember carrying that too.
What I know now
that I didn’t know then
is something simple but powerful—
Children are not responsible
for the storms around them.
They are only the ones
learning how to stand
while the thunder rolls overhead.
And sometimes, years later,
when the world grows quieter,
the truth slowly finds its way
through the cracks of old stories.
When it does,
it changes everything.
But it also reveals something else—
The child who survived it
was always stronger
than they were ever told.
Mar 9
Mar 9, 2026 at 3:13 PM UTC
The Boy Who Held the Fall
his voice, quiet but resolute
I stood where silence dared to break,
the rope a whisper in my hand.
The weight below was not a mistake—
it was the part I understand.
I did not ask to be the wall,
nor crave the cliff beneath my feet.
But something in me heard the call
to hold what others might delete.
It wasn’t mine, this heavy stone,
but I became its final thread.
I bore it so she’d not alone
be dragged into the dark instead.
And if I vanish with the strain,
no songs, no statues, no acclaim—
just know I held her heart, her pain,
and never once let go her name.
https://poetryoflifeweb.com/
You can copy and paste link to my Poetry of life Poems, that shows the artwork that goes with each poem.
Feb 19
Feb 19, 2026 at 4:09 AM UTC
The first unsung hero in everyone’s life is their Dad —
a silent strength,
a steady guide,
and a love often unspoken.
Jan 2
Jan 2, 2026 at 11:56 PM UTC
The dry leaves are shaken off by the wind
The wind softly whispered in the tired of the dizzy climate
The land regenerates willingly on the animals that inhabit it
The leaves are ready and willing to be eaten by insects, worms and slugs
Trees that soar high reaching the sky have been tested by various storms as if they are still strong even though they are old but still protect every habitat below them
His organs seemed willing to die and regenerate because that was the sacrifice of his life
When the harvest season arrives, it's not uncommon for him to be ****** or his branches deliberately broken to get something, but he still reciprocates by giving the fruits he produces.
His sacrifice will still not be in vain and while expressing gratitude to the Creator for what has been given
He is the only one who lives in that area
Others have died to life, or have even been cut down by humans in the name of civilization
He is still a tree and will never turn into an animal
But with gratitude and reverence for his environment he is willing to stay silent and only move upwards to welcome the sunlight
Oct 4, 2025
Oct 4, 2025 at 5:53 AM UTC
They will never choose me.
I’ve finally accepted that truth.
Not because I am lacking,
but because what I carry was never meant to fit inside their vision.
They will never choose me,
and yet, I will not wither.
I will not beg.
I will not keep knocking on a door
that was never built to open for me.
I once thought their yes mattered.
I once thought their approval was the key.
But I’ve learned that the only yes I need
is the one I give to myself.
So let them keep their silence.
Let them keep their absence.
Let them stay comfortable overlooking what they do not understand.
Because I am no longer waiting.
I am no longer hoping.
I am no longer measuring my worth by their choice.
One day, perhaps, they will see what they passed by.
One day, they might wonder what it would have been like
to stand beside me.
But by then, I will be gone
not bitter, not broken,
but whole.
Because the truth is simple:
I was never meant to be chosen by them.
I was always meant to be chosen by me.
Sep 7, 2025
Sep 7, 2025 at 7:54 AM UTC
After goodbye,
Just a little bit hurt
But a lot more free.
Aug 2, 2025
Aug 2, 2025 at 3:42 PM UTC
"Some people just can't resist your smile,talent and happiness for no reason."
Jul 19, 2025
Jul 19, 2025 at 2:37 AM UTC
Sacrifices
Painful, yet worthy.
Exist in every aspect of life.
As a child,
some fun if health doesn't permit.
As a teenager,
sacrificing extracurriculars to fulfill parents' expectations.
As an adult,
leaving passions to drown in a stressful job in order to lift responsibilities.
As a partner,
sacrificing one’s own wishes to prioritize partner's likes and dislikes.
As a parent,
keeping personal luxuries aside to uplift children happily.
Sacrifices—
even though seem tough to do,
give a sense of calm and content after seeing later results.
Jul 5, 2025
Jul 5, 2025 at 11:15 AM UTC
"We can’t blame our fate nor the destiny everytime. Just accept everything and move forward with a smile."
Jun 24, 2025
Jun 24, 2025 at 10:01 AM UTC
He need not bring us luxuries,
As he never failed to fulfill our needs even without asking;
He need not be taking us on holiday,
As the quality time he spends with us is more than enough;
He may not take us to restaurants often,
As his handmade dosas never fail to taste delicious;
He may not be fashionable and trendy,
As he never judged our fashion sense;
He need not give us valuables,
As he gave us enough value education;
He may not be by our side always,
As he taught us well to stand on our own feet and to face the society;
He may not hold power in the community,
As he earned immense respect with his kindness and ethics;
He may not teach us how to make money;
As he never forgot to teach us how to save it;
He may not work in a reputed organization,
As all he care about is his family and not money or his career growth;
He may not be expressive,
As we can witness it in his actions;
He may not be anything as he is everything for us!!
And admiring his contribution may take my whole life.
I may never express to him how much I admire him, care for him and love him;
But one fine day, I will convey him how much his happiness means to me through my success.
Jun 15, 2025
Jun 15, 2025 at 1:19 AM UTC
“People are always there to judge… but I’m not here to collect their judgments.”
Jun 11, 2025
Jun 11, 2025 at 2:52 AM UTC
If a person is sharing his/her personal secrets with you,
they do it with trust and not hope of gaining sympathy or support.
You really don’t need to feel their problems.
Just be with them and assure them that no matter what the future holds, you’ll be always there by their side in all times.
May 20, 2025
May 20, 2025 at 12:43 AM UTC
You think this is a tantrum?
Child
This is the wrath of gods
who waited centuries
before they raised their hand.
I am not your wounded girl.
I am Nemesis unchained,
Kali in stillness before the storm.
My silence was mercy.
You mistook it for peace.
I do not wail. I summon.
I do not flinch. I fracture.
Your name is already ash
on the altar of my patience.
I offered grace.
Now I offer consequence.
Run if you like.
Pray if you must.
But even Olympus learned
no one walks away
from a goddess enraged.
May 19, 2025
May 19, 2025 at 12:16 AM UTC