When faced with this:
You must live, you must
You must go out & be, & shine
(Your light does not dim others
& it cannot overpower those already living & sure)
No more inhibitions
You have to reenter the beaming spotlights
Be illuminated & real & breathing
(You may be sick of standing on that stage
But it is worse to live only in shadow
As an unrealized presence, invisible
& something no one could truly know)
It is time to not only stand but
Step forward: step out
Into the world & let them see you
(You can not fear it any longer:
It is inevitable, more so than death
& even then you could not avoid it)
You need to tear the stitches from your mouth
Free your lips & speak your truth
Like it is the only thing you know
(& it is, & it is you
Unfiltered & pure, clean in undiluted essence
Despite what they may say)
You need to breathe in & out: you need
To exhale your reality without worry
For it is yours & it will not kill anyone
For you to respire
(Your occupation of space
Is not taking it from anyone else
& you were born with this possesion of presence
Already curled in your tiny fingers
As you were pushed into the light)
Hold on to it, hold on
& step into that light
You were born to inhabit
Points:
Time spent:
IP address:
Canary word: Present
Possible AI signals:
Original Text:
Are you sure you want to delete this comment? This cannot be undone.
Mark this comment as a review? Points will be awarded to the poster.
Your comment was posted, but it wasn’t long enough to count as a review. Reviews need about four complete sentences (at least 250 characters). Try writing another review that explains your thoughts in more detail — the author will appreciate it, and you’ll earn points for it.
141,955 Literary Works • 676,157 Reviews
Hi,
This is a great poem! I love how you incorporate recurring themes like free self-expression and not worrying about overshadowing others. This poem has a meaningful uplifting message that is great to read!
I love the imagery in this line! It is powerful and concise, reinforcing your message!
I would suggest consolidating your poem to make it stronger. A few ideas are repeated in the poem, so I feel that it can be made more concise,making it more effective. I would also suggest using intentional formatting to bring ideas together and using a little less punctuation. Just some small ideas that I think can help, but this poem is wonderful the way it is! Thanks!
I honestly loved this poem-! 🔅
Doesn't seem like just another bunch of words but I do feel like living after this, and I thank you for that. Have a fulfilling life too, poet.
I think of it too sometimes, but seeing it in a poem feels substantial.
I love this line specifically and I feel so many people relate to it deeply, it feels like being called out
I thought of it as the last anchoring voice speaking before everything quiets down. I loved this line as well.
The parenthetical thoughts act like an internal monologue, constantly reassuring the doubt-filled mind that one’s light doesn't diminish others nor invade their territory.
What makes this poem particularly striking on a human level is its gentle validation of existential anxiety. It doesn't just demand that you be brave; it acknowledges how exhausting and terrifying it is to put yourself out there. By explicitly validating that "you may be sick of standing on that stage," the poet meets the reader in their fatigue rather than preaching from a pedestal. The shift toward gentle reassurance—reminding us that simply being who we are doesn't steal space or harm anyone else—turns what could have been a loud motivational speech into a quiet, deeply comforting permission slip to simply exist.
Thank you very much for posting this.
Have a beautiful day ahead-! ☀