On Withdrawal (musing)

There is a moment when the desire to be seen fades.
Not with bitterness, but with clarity.

Some connections are built on an unspoken rhythm:
one reaches, the other receives.
One is present through absence,
the other present only in need.
And for a time, this imbalance is accepted—
out of love, loyalty, or hope.

But eventually, the weight of one-sidedness begins to show.
It is not anger that creates distance,
but the quiet understanding that care must be mutual to endure.

To withdraw is not to abandon.
It is to honour the self where the other no longer does.

This is not pride.
It is preservation.

Presence must be invited, not assumed.
And when silence answers louder than words ever did,
the only integrity left is to stop knocking.

(scheduled and written on May 11th 2025)