The Girl I Grew Into

Nobody could see the storm I hid

Beneath thin arms and shaking steps.

The skinny girl with the funny walk,

Thick lenses framing eyes

That rarely met another’s.

My tongue tripped on every word.

My teeth crossed like roads unpaved.

And my forehead, a sunrise too bold

For a world that craved twilight.

I waited, patiently,

For the glow up that never came.

For beauty to find me

And whisper, “You are enough.”

Instead, I learned to whisper it myself.

Braces straightened more than teeth;

They aligned my courage, too.

Leg braces taught me grace—

Not the kind you see,

But the kind you feel

When you finally stop hiding.

The forehead still shines.

The glasses still frame my view.

The words still roll with rhythm unique to me.

But I have changed.

I found the kind of people

Who see light in the cracks,

Who stayed when others strayed,

Who showed me that love

Does not need perfection to bloom.

Now I bow in gratitude

To them,

To the girl I was,

To the woman I’ve become.

I release the self-hate I once wore

Like a too-tight dress,

And in its place, I wear peace,

Stitched with self-worth,

Hemmed with grace,

And glowing in the quiet truth

That I am, and have always been,

Enough.