Prayers I never spoke

We met beneath that clear camp sky,

You smiled like peace before goodbye.

I laughed and hid behind the glow,

But there were things you'll never know.

You saw the joy, the silly me,

The girl who danced so carelessly.

But underneath the games I played,

Was love I buried, fear and faith.

You used to talk from dusk till dawn,

And I would listen, holding on.

You’d joke and hide the ache you felt,

I recognized it all too well.

We both had ghosts we couldn’t name,

And prayers we whispered in the rain.

I told myself it wasn’t right—

To fall for you, to risk the light.

I loved you once but walked away,

Too scared that love would slip or stray.

I said I’m waiting on God’s time—

But truth is, I was scared of mine.

You loved me like Christ loves the Church,

Even when I let go first.

And maybe I’ll regret that day—

But I was just too scared to say.

You wore your hurt beneath a grin,

But I could hear it in the wind.

The jokes, the lines, the way you'd smile—

A fragile heart walked every mile.

And I would pray you’d find your peace,

That faith would hold you in the least.

Though I moved on and stayed a friend,

Your name still haunts me now and then.

I saw you bleed and didn’t speak,

You hid in ways I couldn’t reach.

And maybe that’s the hardest part—

To love someone, then fall apart.

I loved you once but played it small,

Afraid that love would wreck it all.

You were the boy who saw my pain,

And held it softly in the rain.

You loved me like Christ loves the Church,

Even when I said it hurt.

And maybe I’ll regret that day—

But I was just too scared to say.