The cucumbers are lying to me again

They’re all green and plump, but I know the truth—some of them have already given up. The ones near the back wall, the ones that never got enough light, they’re soft at the stem like they’ve been whispering to themselves in the dark. I water them anyway. Not because I think they’ll grow, but because the act of watering feels like a kind of apology. Like maybe if I keep showing up, they’ll remember what it’s like to be seen.