Unseen Tightness

The conversation rolls and runs,

words spill out like scattered guns.

I catch my breath, then feel the weight—

jaw locked tight, a slow-made fate.

No thought to pause, no space to ease,

the muscles knot without a breeze.

Hours stretch; the tension grows,

hidden, clenched in silent throes.

A grind beneath the surface hides,

a secret stress that never chides.

I don’t notice till it’s done—

a quiet fight I’ve never won.