A Quiet Claim
Steven Van Der Heyden
He had withdrawn from the world after making a choice he never defended, telling himself it was temporary, then letting years pass unchecked. He drifted in a void without beginning or end, unsure when retreat had become habit. Yet a gnawing sense persisted: his story would not be denied.
Time pressed closer, subtle and unrelenting, and he felt the quiet claim of age settling into his bones, behind his eyes. What he had postponed now demanded recognition.
In that suspended moment he understood: neglecting one’s story is no escape. The world waits for no one, and what he called silence had always been a decision.
Steven Van Der Heyden