Let Your Shoulders Drop Now

The mask is already on before you walk out the door. You smile at the neighbor.

You nod at the work email. You perform okayness so well that the world believes the lie.

But you remember the exact second the mask slipped. You remember seeing your partner's shoulders drop the moment they thought you weren't looking.

That sudden collapse of weight. The way their breath changed when they believed they were alone.

It haunts you because you know what it costs to hold yourself up like that all day. You know the exhaustion of being the strong one.

The light sees behind the performance. It saw your partner's shoulders fall, and it did not look away in judgment.

It moved closer. There is a love that does not need you to be impressive.

A love that waits for the moment you put the armor down. You do not have to carry the world for them.

The light is strong enough to hold what you are trying to hide. Stop performing for a audience that isn't there.

The only thing required of you now is to let your own shoulders drop.