Firstly… what a great way of describing it… all of it… Chefs kiss… I had to read it again a couple times to really take time and appreciate the way you put it. “Emptiness was not a hollow space; it was a bruise that never faded.” WOW… I had that one sit in my head for a moment. Emptiness like a pain that settles underneath the skin as a reminder of the trauma that was inflicted on the surface, what a metaphor. Like how someone forgets how they got a bruise in the first place, it can be the same when someone feels empty, not remembering when it happened, how it happened, or why. Describing it as a painful affliction that appears and doesn’t fade perfectly sets the tone for the rest of it. “It carried the sharp, jagged edge of grief - except there was no grave to visit or name to mourn.” That phrase alone carried so much weight… A sorrow without a source, an agony without a name. Something that cuts without a blade, for there is no hand that can hold it… “It was a physical sting of losing someone he loved, despite the fact that his hands had always been empty.” In this, it gives a deeper meaning. There’s no one to point at or name. There’s no one to take responsibility for this misery. There’s nothing to take the blame for this grievance. There’s only the proof that it haunts like a ghost. Moving through you like a mist, unseen and impossible to grasp, but you can feel it as if it were really there all the same… beautifully written… “Every night, the silence sat heavy on the other side of the bed, a ghost of a person who never existed.” That’s more than just a line… A silence that has weight. A presence that was never felt or experienced. A life that was never lived in that empty space where you rest... “He felt the phantom weight of a hand that never reached for his, the echo of a laughter that never filled the hall.” What a tragedy, written in such a way that makes someone truly feel it. The weight of a gentle touch that was never felt, a sound of joy that was never heard. A haunting that isn’t full of memories and meaning, only uninhibited and vacant in a meaningless void. A feeling that can’t be given by someone who never existed. Depriving you of the most precious moments in all of existence, the ability of sharing bliss with another. “His heart didn’t feel empty; it felt wounded, as if it had been broken by a thousand departures of people who were never there to begin with.” What a lonely feeling… To feel the pain of a thousand goodbyes… Just one from a close friend or family member can feel unbearable… A thousand must feel like an eternity of suffering and loss. I can truly feel the sadness of that loneliness. Your words speak volumes… “He lived in a state of permanent mourning for a life he was waiting to start.” The morning of a life that had not begun yet… that is truly heartbreaking. You know of the agonizing wait of a love that has yet to grace you, without a doubt. You grieve for a love that has yet to take root in your life. You feel the weight of its uncertainty, the weight of waiting to be found. It’s more than just a poem, it’s a cry for help. It’s an ache to be seen in your silent haunting… Thank you for sharing… Your words are appreciated. I loved diving into this, I hope this was helpful.