Anthony Hanible

I Don’t Want To Fight

I don’t want to fight

Not with you

Not with the ghosts that rise in me

When the room goes quiet

I’m tired of armor that never fit

Tired of swinging at shadows

That only needed a little light

I want my hands to unclench

To remember they were made

For holding

Not defending

I want my voice to soften

Without feeling like surrender

To speak truth without drawing blood

I don’t want to fight

I want the kind of peace

That doesn’t ask me to disappear

The kind that lets both of us breathe

Without bracing for impact

If there’s a door out of this war

I’m standing at it now

Open palms

Open heart

Hoping you’ll meet me

On the other side