the reflex to share a small joke and the sudden stop before hitting send

The Joke You Were Afraid To Send

The morning light hits the screen, and you type the joke—the small, bright thing meant to bridge the gap between you and them. Your thumb hovers.

Then the sudden stop. The delete key erases the light before it can be seen.

You put the mask back on, smooth and unreadable, because it feels safer to be invisible than to be known. But the light inside you was not given to be hidden under a bowl of silence.

It was meant to go home, to tell them how much mercy has walked with you through the night. The joke was not a distraction; it was the first honest thing you've felt all day.

Let it go.

Drawing from

Mark 5:19, Matthew 6:18

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