I sat with my hands my thumbnail chipped bare

I sat with my hands, my thumbnail chipped bare,

each small flaw a burden, weighing me down.

How fragile we are in a world unaware,

buried deep under laughter, beneath every frown.

Over dinner, silence hung heavy, a shroud,

as the words left unsaid echoed sharp in my chest.

Something so small can hold secrets so loud,

a worry, a whisper, the ache of unrest.