I sat with myself in the quiet of night,
No stars above,just the pale ceiling light.
And there in the silence, a voice came through,
Not a whisper from others,but from me to me, true.
“Hey,” I said softly, “how have you been?
You smile out loud, but you’re aching within.
You joke with the world, you wear the mask well,
But when no one’s watching, you’re locked in your shell.”
I stared at my hands, both empty and tight,
Gripping regrets that visit each night.
I chase after dreams with feet made of doubt,
And wonder why nothing ever works out.
“You blame the world for the pain you feel,
But isn’t it time to start being real?
You wait for change like it’s due to arrive,
But how will it come if you don’t first strive?”
“I know,” I confessed, “I’ve been hiding too long,
Singing the right words but living them wrong.
Expecting the world to hand me a sign,
When the fault and the fix have both been mine.”
“I need to be better,no more disguise,
To face my own demons, to open my eyes.
To be who I am, not who they demand,
To build not with fear, but with my own hands.”
So I sat with myself ‘til the morning grew gold,
A boy and his shadow, growing bold.
And I promised that night to start anew,
Because change won’t come…
'til it first comes from you.