Dusk to Dawn

I held myself back,
Abhorring any attention,
Avoiding hands that
Hurt,
Stares that
Defile,
Fearing to be on the spotlight.
I disappeared from my own eyes.

I hid in mediocrity, content to get by.
So long as no one stared,
So long as no one cared.
No chance for disappointment
Where there’s nothing to expect.
No chance of falling when I never fly.

But I do want things to change.
There’s still a heart inside that’s fighting
Amidst the wave upon wave of fear.
For I was never born to be cold and lost;
I am meant to be a warm hearth, a glowing fire –
A tree, a home, a star.

I am – we are – born to be
The best that we can ever be.