You’re not a caver, you say.

But when I look at the people around me
the ones who carry grief,
hold silence,
ask hard questions,
stay through the night,
show up to the work,
and do quiet labor no one celebrates

I see a different kind of descent.
A different kind of courage.

For the people who go deep
in ways no one else notices,

I see you.

You’ve gone underground too.
You’ve walked your own dark.
You’ve found your own way back.

And I’m grateful for you.