Funny how quiet it gets
When the lights go out.

They clapped for the moment, not the miles
Cheered for the finish, missed the trials
I stood there smiling like I won
But the echo hit when the noise was done
Green room empty, mirror cracked
Still me staring right back
That’s when you learn what stays
When the volume fades away

I don’t miss it
I just notice the space it leaves

After the applause fades
I’m still standing here
No hands in the air
Just feet on the floor
After the applause fades
I don’t lose my name
I don’t change my pace
I just move forward
After the applause fades

I don’t chase echoes down the hall
Don’t frame headlines on the wall
If you knew what silence taught
You’d know why I move like I do now
No encore, no rewind
I respect the end of a time
Some seasons close without sound
That’s not loss — that’s ground

If you need the noise to know who you are
You’ll panic when it’s gone
I didn’t disappear
I just kept going

After the applause fades (still here)
I’m still standing clear (no fear)
No hands in the air
Just breθ in my lungs
After the applause fades
I don’t lose my name
I don’t change my pace
I just move forward
After the applause fades

Some growth doesn’t echo.
It continues.