Held When You Cannot Hold Yourself

The song starts in the grocery store aisle, and suddenly the air is too thin to breathe. You have to stand perfectly still, gripping the cart, because if you move even an inch, the mask will slip and everyone will see the ruin underneath.

The middle of the day is the hardest place to fall apart; there is no cover of darkness, only the harsh glare of ordinary life demanding you perform okayness. But you do not have to hold it together.

The light does not require your composure. It knows the weight of the performance you are carrying, and it is gentle with the ones who are weary and burdened.

You are allowed to tremble right here, in the fluorescent hum, without losing the love that holds you. The song ends.

The moment passes. And you are still standing, not because you were strong, but because you were held when you couldn't hold yourself.