I'm thinking

If I wanted to walk away, I would. If I wanted to run, I’d be long gone. But when a shadow stretches across my path, I stand my ground— anchored, questioning. I step out under the golden sun, letting laughter spill over, squealing in unfiltered sparks of joy. The warmth is entirely real, even if the mind is a heavy, exhausted engine. I am happy, mostly. The rest is just a painted mask. Do not hunt my footsteps if I face the dark. Do not dive into the deep if I am drowning. I hold your quiet care close to my chest, but I can weather the storm alone. Because I see when your shoulders drop. I feel when you are bleeding, or bruised, or fading. I care with a fierce, quiet fire you will never fully see. I will dance on your nerves and bug you for ages, just to watch a smile break across your face. Maybe you would do the same for me. Maybe the tide turns otherwise. And if that smile of mine looks like glass, know there is a deeper current underneath. I spin gold out of the darkest shadows; I wear heavy pressure like a tailored coat. It’s simply what I do— weaving a tapestry of harmony, standing dead-centre in the roaring crowd, laughing until the room echoes. But I burn when malice touches my friends or family. I freeze when met with hollow silence. I choke on the smoke of guilt and sudden storms. So, slowly, I pull my gravity back from the universe, slipping between the stars into another dimension. Yet, thank you for staying by my side. I have never learned how to let go of people.