A Man’s Silence

A man’s silence is not empty.

It is full of things he cannot say,
words he has swallowed,
emotions he has buried,
pain he has carried alone for far too long.

They ask him why he is so quiet.
Why he never talks about what’s wrong.
But no one ever taught him how.

He learned young that tears
were something to be ashamed of.
That real men do not ask for help.
That struggle is something
you deal with in the dark—
alone, unseen, unheard.

So he builds his walls higher.
He locks the doors,
keeps the world at a safe distance.

Because letting someone in
feels more dangerous
than being alone.