You Do Not Have to Smile

The afternoon sun is bright, and you are holding your face together with a strength that is making your jaw ache. You smiled at the one who hurt you.

You nodded. You played your part in the middle of this long, ordinary day.

But inside, your teeth are clenched so tight it feels like your head might split. The mask is heavy today.

It is exhausting to look okay when you are breaking. You do not have to keep the smile frozen on your lips forever.

The light sees the tension. It sees the effort it takes to be polite while your insides are screaming.

There is a place where you can let your face go slack. Where the performance ends and the truth begins.

You do not have to carry the weight of being 'fine' for one more minute. Let your mouth open.

Let the breath out. The light is not asking you to smile.

It is asking you to breathe.