Can you remember who you were
before the world told you who you should be?
Before the voices started shaping your edges,
before the weight of expectations
pressed down so hard
you forgot how to breathe for yourself?

Do you remember the softness
in your eyes,
the wildness in your heart—
before they told you
to hold it in,
to make yourself small enough
to fit into their boxes,
their rules, their lines?

There was a time, wasn’t there?
When you didn’t ask permission
to exist,
when your laughter was reckless,
and your dreams were...