What We Wear

I put on my coat
before stepping into the cold,
as if fabric could prepare me
for conversations I haven’t had.

There are things I cannot explain—
why silence grows heavier
when it isn’t shared,
why some words hover
but refuse to land.

You turn the lock
with a soft metallic click,
and suddenly the world
is outside.

Inside, we sit
with what we did not say.

My coat hangs by the door,
holding the shape of my shoulders,
waiting for courage
to fit into it again.

— Maggie
The Afterlove Voice 💫