2.3.25 // And Suddenly, I See

For so long, I searched in the faces of others,
in their words, their glances, their quiet approvals—
waiting for them to tell me who I was meant to be.

I shaped myself in reflections not my own,
hoping someone else would name the fire in me,
would recognize the spark before I could.

But suddenly, I see—
it was never theirs to name.
It was never outside of me,
never written in someone else’s voice.

It lives in the moments that lift me,
in the laughter that bubbles up without reason,
in the places where my feet move freely,
where joy is not a question but a current.

And yes, I still catch myself looking outward,
waiting for someone to point and say,
"That. That is what lights you up."

But I am learning to turn inward instead,
to listen, to trust, to recognize—
that the knowing was always mine to claim.