What do you see # 359, 21 September, 2026
What You See
You see my eyes
looking straight into yours,
steady and unafraid.
You see the smallest smile,
just enough to make you wonder
what thought caused it.
You see my face.
But you do not see
the roads that brought me here,
the doors I closed behind me,
the storms I walked through
without an umbrella.
You cannot see the nights
when courage was nothing grand—
only getting up the next morning
and trying once more.
You cannot see
the words I swallowed,
the tears I refused to explain,
or the dreams I protected
when others told me
to let them go.
Perhaps you look at me
and think you know who I am.
That’s the curious thing
about photographs.
They capture a face
in a fraction of a second,
but a lifetime
cannot fit inside a frame.
So look again.
That almost-smile?
Perhaps I know something
you don’t.
Perhaps I’ve finally learned
that I don’t have to explain
every chapter of my story
to someone who has only seen
the cover.
You see me.
But only I know
everything it took
to become the woman
looking back at you.
#WhatDoYouSee #WDYS
My new song is out on streaming platforms 🎵
https://ditto.fm/silenced-but-not-broken
With love, coffee, poetry, and stardust,
— Maggie The Afterlove Voice 💫
If you want a reading, send me an email:
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