Level Up

When You Level Up
by MissT

When you level up,
your old life will come calling.
It’ll knock in familiar tones —
voices you once cried for,
hands that hurt,
memories dressed up as love.

It’ll whisper:
“Come back. We miss you. It wasn’t that bad, was it?”

But don’t go back.

You’ve already answered those calls before.
You’ve played the peacekeeper.
You’ve broken yourself into pieces
just to keep others comfortable.

This time?
Let the phone ring.

You’re not the girl who needed their approval anymore.
You’re the woman who rose without it.

Let the old life watch you bloom from the distance.
Let it ache.
Let it wonder.

But don’t go back.
Not when forward is finally quiet,
and you’ve found a version of yourself worth protecting.