Emotional Abuse

The first time I said out loud that I wasn't okay, I said it to a stranger in a coffee shop. She was reading a book I liked. I don't know why it came out. She didn't flinch. She just closed her book and said, "I'm really sorry. That sounds hard." A few words.…

To the version of me from a year ago, I know why you kept quiet. It wasn't weakness. It was hope wearing your face, whispering that tomorrow would feel a little softer. I forgive you for the nights you rehearsed apologies for things you didn't need to be sorry…