We sit across the empty room
Like we agreed not to move
The air knows where it needs to stay
So we don’t push it through
Your hand rests close to mine
But not close enough to try
Some spaces learn to hold themselves
When no one asks them why
No reaching out
No stepping in
We stopped pretending
This needs to end
There’s the space we don’t fill
And it feels right
Not cold, not distant
Just quiet
We don’t close it
We don’t explain
There’s the space we don’t fill
And we keep it that way
The clock moves like it’s unsure
If it should break the calm
I watch the shadows change their shape
Across the floor and wall
We used to rush into the silence
Trying to make it loud
Now we let it breathe on its own
And it slows us down
No words left hanging
No questions still
We learned the comfort
Of standing still
There’s the space we don’t fill
Between your name and mine
It doesn’t ask for meaning
It just exists in time
We don’t cross it
We don’t defend
There’s the space we don’t fill
And it doesn’t need an end
Maybe closeness isn’t touching
Maybe it’s knowing when to stop
Some love survives in distance
When you don’t make it more than what it’s not
There’s the space we don’t fill
Soft and wide
Not something missing
Just a line
We don’t erase it
We don’t pretend
There’s the space we don’t fill
And we let it stand
Just enough room
To breathe