Some people make us smile on cue
Polite reactions, practiced view
Some people soften all the noise
Lower the guard, return the poise

Some bring tension in the air
Invisible weight we start to bear
Words are light but something’s tight
We brace ourselves before the night

We measure tone
We read the room
We scan for cracks
We assume

But you

With you I don’t have to be careful
Don’t have to filter every word
No silent math behind my eyes
No edge beneath what’s heard

With you I don’t prepare defenses
Don’t map the exits in my mind
It’s rare to stand without a shield
And leave the armor far behind

Some feel warm but something’s staged
A careful dance inside a cage
Some feel kind but leave a trace
Of quiet doubt I can’t erase

And I’ve learned well to hold my ground
To trust the shifts in subtle sound
Instinct doesn’t lie for long
It hums beneath what’s wrong

But with you I don’t have to be careful
Don’t have to shrink or overplay
No hidden ledger in my chest
No cost to what I say

With you the air is steady
Nothing sharp behind the tone
And maybe that’s the rarest thing
To feel completely known

Some make us smile
Some make us relax
Some make us careful

You don’t