The Noise I Left Behind

 By: Nathan Fletcher

I used to mistake noise for life…

the crowded tables,

the constant motion,

the voices layered

like waves that never reached shore.

Everyone wanted to be heard,

no one wanted to listen.

Truth was the first to leave the room,

and I stayed too long after it was gone.

I carried their chaos

like a badge of belonging,

until it wore through my skin.

That’s when I learned….

not everyone who stands beside you

stands with you.

So I left.

Not in anger,

but in mercy…

for them, and for me.

Now, the quiet speaks clearer

than all their noise ever did.

And in that stillness,

I found something worth keeping:

respect for myself,

and peace that doesn’t need applause.