Being Vulnerable

To say the things we never say;

Not out of pride, but kept at bay;

Takes more than strength we show in stride;

It takes the kind that hides inside.

The kind that trembles when it speaks,

That cracks, and falters, and still seeks.

No armor left, no words prepared,

Just truth exposed, completely bared.

No polished act, no guarded stance,

Just meeting eyes, and taking chance.

For when we risk, and hearts reveal,

The wound is where we start to feel;

It doesn’t roar or try to win;

It sits with all we’ve held within.

And in that pause where words fall short,

we offer up our deepest thoughts.

Not to be brave, or to be right,

But just to bring our fear to light;

To risk the pain, the awkward space,

In hopes of something taking place.

For when we let the silence fill,

And let the heart say what it will,

We touch the hurt we tried to hide;

And learn we’re more for having tried.

The voice that shakes is still sincere;

That’s where the strongest truths appear.

And when they’re met with quiet eyes,

Not judged, not fixed, just recognized;

Then something soft begins to stay,

What fear had long been kept away:

That being seen is not a loss,

But sometimes how we bear the cost.

So speak it plain, though voice is small.

Let silence open, let it fall.

For in the breaking, something true...

Might rise in you and meet them too.