The Shelf Where I Keep You

By Bilal Salman Ahmad

There’s a sweetness in waiting,

A quiet kind of grace—

To hold you gently in my thoughts,

And never ask for space.

You live inside a softer world,

Where silence doesn’t ache.

Where smiles don’t vanish into dust,

And hearts don’t ever break.

I place you on a little shelf,

Not far, not out of sight—

Just close enough to talk to

When I’m alone at night.

You never hurt me there, you see,

You’re always kind and warm.

You never drift or disappoint,

You never lose your form.

And maybe this is something more—

A comfort I create.

To love you from a gentle place,

And never ask for fate.

You’re perfect in this quiet dream,

Unchanged by time or choice.

A melody I hum alone,

Still softened by your voice.

I don’t need to hold your hand

To know the warmth it gives.

Some loves don’t bloom with touch or time—

They simply choose to live.

So let me keep you here awhile,

Where nothing needs to be.

A beautiful, imagined love—

Still whole, though only me.

By Bilal Salman Ahmad