What if I spoke instead of staying still,
And let my truth cut clean through comfort's shell?
What if I bowed no more to someone’s will,
And walked away from praise that served me well?

What if I paused, and chose to hear within,
And let the quiet shape a deeper me?
What if the fault was not my shame or sin,
But fear that kept my heart from setting free?

What if the wound became a doorway wide,
And pain gave depth instead of bitter strife?
What if I dared to fail, with hope as guide,
And found in loss the meaning of my life?

What if I stood without a need to prove,
Nor chased the masks that others want me wear?
What if I gave my love, the truest move,
With open hands and spirit laid out bare?

What if I asked not, What did I attain?
But rather, Who did I lift up or heal?
What if I learned to bear the grief and pain,
Because to love means everything is real?

What if I turned away from “should” to “true,”
And let my longing pierce the veils of night?
What if I lived as if each breath were new,
Not waiting for a later, braver light?

What if I looked inside with kinder eyes,
And saw I’m more than roles I play or name?
What if my cracks revealed where courage lies,
Proof that I’ve faced the storm and stayed the same?

What if I stood with courage, not pretend,
And met the world as one who dares to bend?