The Light Lives in the Crack

The mirror is a cold place at four in the morning. You practiced the lie until the words felt smooth, until your face learned the shape of a smile that didn't reach your eyes.

You walked out and delivered it perfectly, even as your stomach turned to stone. But the light does not live in the performance.

It lives in the crack where the truth leaks out. There is light within a person of light, and it lights up the whole world—even the parts you tried to hide behind the rehearsed script.

The mask is heavy, and you are tired of holding it up. If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you.

The truth you buried is not a weapon; it is the only thing that can stop the turning in your gut. You do not have to be the person you practiced being.

You can just be the one who is here, in the dark, finally done with the act.