the terrifying silence after the door locks, when the performance ends and there is no one left to witness your collapse but the empty room

The Light That Holds You When You Fall

The lock clicks. The performance ends.

And the silence that rushes in is heavier than the day you just carried. You are alone with the empty room, waiting for the collapse you know is coming.

But notice — the light does not require an audience to exist. It was there before the mask went on, and it is here now that the mask is off.

You do not have to perform for the empty space. You do not have to hold yourself together when no one is watching.

The light is not a spotlight demanding you shine; it is the quiet presence that holds you when you cannot stand. Let the room be empty.

Let the silence be loud. You are not abandoned in it.

You are held.

Drawing from

Gospel of Thomas 70, John 8:10-11

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