There is a stillness in my spirit,
A quiet that asks me to pause.
My mind reflects on where I have been
While trying to understand where I am going.

Once I trembled at the thought of solitude,
Now I rest in the peace of sitting with myself.
Finding joy within myself has given me freedom—
A freedom to love myself without measure.

There was a time when I wore a mask.
I hid my true self from those around me.
I became the embodiment of what they needed me to be,
Changing masks as easily as the seasons.

In time, the mask fit so well it became a part of me,
And I slowly lost sight of who I was.
I became the mask,
And the mask became me.

My face grew weary of the mask,
Longing to show the beauty and strength beneath.
My spirit rises through its tattered edges,
Ready to fly free, finally seen.

There will be those who do not understand my journey.
There will be those who try to force me back behind the mask.
I may lose those who only loved who I was—
Not who I am becoming.
And while there is pain, there is growth.

I reach deep within for the strength to be free,
Unmasked, unencumbered, and unapologetically me.
The journey will not be easy, nor will it be short.
And still—I choose myself.
I am the prize worth fighting for.