To be Myself

I’d rather lose everything, even everyone, than trade away the soul God made in me. For too long I tried to wear their faces, to echo their voices, to please a world that never truly saw me. But peace is found in the quiet of my own heart. Joy blooms when I stand as I am. And as myself— no masks, no chains— I rise. I shine. I fly higher than I ever could pretending to be them.