this is something we are all guilty of, one time or another, politically, artistically and personally

Every night there are thoughts unwritten
Every day there are realities unspoken
This habit has become as natural as breathing
The holding back
The decision not to engage
It feels easier, diplomatic

We do not want to offend, outrage, embarrass
We think twice, then thrice
And then with the fourth thought
We concede to the silence

It’s not that we tell lies really
It’s just that we do not say the truth out loud
And since no one is a mind reader
(Not even you)
The secret is lost

Perfect avoidance
The conversation grows vague
And eventually we learn to forget how we felt

That warm blush of crush
That sharing of soul
That sigh
That affirmation of bliss
Fading
Gone