my body
hidden behind blinding lights
erasing my existence
reduced to a silhouette —
just body.

no soul,
no being,
no meaning.

they have tried to confine me
to the shadows of my own existence
not to see my humanity
nor engage in the weight of my stories,

i can only assume —

it is out of fear
fear of what i carry with me
fear of what i am capable of
fear that my truth might shake
their fragile foundation

but it is just me —
a young girl trying to
find my place in this world
that refuses to share belonging.
a heart that longs to be seen,
a soul that refuses to be silenced.

for as long as i remember,
i have been trying
trying
to cut the light in half —
to let myself be seen,

to let myself be recognised.
only to find on the other side,
people with their eyes shut,
deliberately blind
to the depth of my reality.

i have become
a political asset,
a token in the name of diversity,
a convenient strategy —
directing a spotlight on my skin
but not my being,
making me a symbol
while ignoring my essence,
turning my identity
into a checkbox.

my being is meant to stay behind,
to bear witness
to my absence from this world,
as if i am insignificant. invisible.

but let me turn around and
love myself real quick,
to not be dependent on your love
that is conditional

i am a whole existence —

a testament to resilience.
i am telling myself
as I am
becoming

— my own source of light.