When It Hurts This Quiet

When It Hurts This Quiet

I heard your name in someone’s laugh,
It hit me like a photograph.
I turned around but no one’s there—
Just empty space and colder air.

The world moves on like nothing’s wrong,
But I’ve been missing you too long.

When it hurts this quiet,
You break without a sound.
No screaming, no riot,
Just tears that pull you down.
I whisper all the words you said,
To shadows where you used to stand.
And no one sees me falling yet—
When it hurts this quiet.

I still wear the ring you gave,
The one I swore I’d never take.
Now it’s just a circle of pain,
Holding hands with your name.

I tell myself that I’ll be fine,
But grief don’t listen to that line.

When it hurts this quiet,
You smile but you're not there.
You laugh to hide the silence,
You speak but no one cares.
I reach for you in empty dreams,
Wake up too slow to even scream.
And all I do is try to forget—
When it hurts this quiet.

I’d give it all to hear your voice,
One more call, one more choice.
But all I get is memory’s sting—
And the sound of nothing echoing.

When it hurts this quiet,
Even the stars look wrong.
The night feels like a siren,
Singing a ghost of our song.
And if I make it through tonight,
It won’t be ‘cause I’m alright—
It’s just…
When it hurts this quiet…
You learn to cry in light.