i was happy, in a very sad way
but i was happy
happiness is still happiness
who is to tell me what was right and what was wrong

it was everything i had in that moment
it was all that i had
the only thing i had
and i used it to my advantage

it made me miserable
and i was indeed filled with shame then
for what i was to do
to the people around me

but please,
remember it was the only thing i had
my safe haven that i reached to
my own revelation

who was to say what i should or should not have done
when in the end it brought me peace and quietness

it was a silence so serene
it was something that i sought for all my life

— Y.H.

stigma,
gentle fervor.