for the ones who dared to arrive as themselves

Come as you are,
glittered, scarred, soft-spoken or loud.
Come with your stories folded in pockets,
your pronouns like petals,
your love like a lighthouse in storm.

This is not a place of proof.
You do not audition for belonging.
You do not shrink to fit the frame.

You are worthy.
You are whole.
And here,
you are held.

Held in the arms of those who remember
what it felt like to be unseen.
Held in the rhythm of chosen family,
in the pulse of music that says:
You made it. You matter.

Let the world outside keep its fences.
We build bridges from breath,
from glitter,
from grief turned into gold.

You are not too much.
You are not too late.
You are the celebration.
You are the sanctuary.

You are worthy.
You are whole.
And here,
you are held.