Sometimes how we feel inside doesn’t match what others see. This poem is about that fragile space, the quiet fading no one notices and the surface calm that loved ones observe.

It’s the reminder that healing isn’t always visible, but it’s there.

Today a stranger said,
“You look as though you’re fading away.”

But today, my mother said,
“You look well.”

Fading to strangers,
and well, to those who love me
Yet beneath both gazes,
I am still learning to be seen.

Between their words I stand as
A ghost slipping through the cracks,
Invisible to the eyes that seek,
Visible only to my own shadow.

I wrote this after hearing two truths in one day: one from a stranger, one from someone I love. I’ve lost weight. I’ve lost a little more than that, too. But I’m still here, learning how to be seen.

This piece speaks to feeling unseen, to fading quietly, and to the weight we carry that others can’t always see. If any part of it stirred something heavy in you, please know you’re not alone in that feeling.

If you’re struggling, whether it’s with your body, your mind, or the space in between. There is always help, and there is hope around the corner. Please reach out. You don’t have to carry it all on your own.

Some places to start:

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US) — Call or text 988 anytime

Crisis Text Line — Text HOME to 741741

SAMHSA Helpline (US) — 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

Mental Health Foundation (UK)

Lifeline (Australia) — 13 11 14


You are still here and You are worth being seen. Healing, even when quiet, is still healing.

Poetry