You Do Not Have To Carry It
The door closes. The car stops.
The performance ends. But your jaw stays locked, holding the shape of a smile you stopped wearing hours ago.
You are still bracing for a blow that never came. The light does not ask you to unclench on command.
It sits with you in the ache. It knows the cost of holding yourself together all day.
There is a room inside you where no one sees, and in that room, you are allowed to let go. The tension was a shield, but the shield is heavy.
You do not have to carry it into the night. The love that holds you does not require your face to be smooth.
It only requires your presence. Put the armor down.
The day is done.
Drawing from
Gospel of Mary 5:4-5, Matthew 26:38-39
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