You Do Not Have to Pretend
The hand on the doorknob freezes before the turn. You rehearse the curve of your lips, practicing a brightness that feels like a lie.
Inside, the ache is hollow and heavy, but the mask is ready. You step through, and the performance begins.
But what you carry behind that smile is not hidden from the light. It sees the exhaustion.
It sees the effort. And it does not ask you to drop the act before it will love you.
What you feel is already known. You do not have to pretend to be whole to be held.
Drawing from
Gospel of Thomas 51, John 9:1-7
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