The Tenderness of Honesty

The Tenderness of Honesty

By Annette Camp 

September 10, 2025 

I said too much,

too soon, and the 

word love slipped 

out of me like breath 

I couldn’t hold.

You left it unanswered,

a weight pressed 

against my chest,

the simple expression 

of good night cut deep.

I erased the text,

as if deletion could 

rewrite the moment,

as if feelings vanish

when pulled back 

into the shadow.

But they don’t.

They live, they ache,

they insist on being heard.

And then came your 

apology for the silence.

It was enough to remind 

me that we are trying,

fumbling forward,

learning how to stand in 

the tenderness of honesty.

It makes my heart sing

when we step into this

open communication 

together, laying down 

what is fragile, even 

when it’s uncomfortable

or painful. It is real.

I love that about us,

the pause to reflect 

what that means for 

ourselves, as well as 

in the dynamic of us.

Here, between the words,

is where we build something

strong and steady —

the pause before response,

the owning of what stings,

the reaching for forgiveness.

I hope in the warmth of 

your presence, we can 

carry this understanding 

into the space beyond screens, 

where silence is a moment 

meant for gathering what 

is true before we place it 

in each other’s hands.