I grew up learning how to read
the air before a word was said
a child standing in the doorway
counting storms inside my head
I kept my feelings folded small
like letters never sent
told myself “just don’t react”
and called that confidence
I wore calm like a uniform
held everything inside
nobody sees the strongest ones
are just the best at hide
But pressure always finds a crack
and truth won’t stay buried long
you can bend for years in silence
still your soul will want a song
So I let it shake, let it break through me
every locked door finally free
I was never weak for feeling pain
I was strong for surviving anyway
I’m still here, standing in my name
not the fear and not the blame
every shadow I went through
lost its power when I faced the truth
I spent years outrunning echoes
filling every quiet space
but the night kept speaking louder
till I finally turned my face
and the monsters weren’t monsters
just the child I left behind
asking me to hold her gently
not outrun her every time
So I held the parts I used to fight
and they softened in my hands
turns out healing isn’t winning
it’s learning you can stand
Now I breathe and I don’t rush
I don’t disappear in dust
I don’t carry every world alone
I am finally my own
I’m still here, louder than before
not afraid of anymore
what once chased me in the dark
now just beats inside my heart
And if I fall I won’t collapse
I know how to come back
every road that hurt me then
taught me how to live again