She got her voice back

don't shrink, be grand

I bent for you again
but the strange thing is 
I didn't even know you

why try to please a total stranger 
like I'm auditioning
on How I Met Your Mother
where only the first and last episodes 
truly matter

why do I say yes when I should say no
to someone I just met 
two seconds ago?

It's so backwards
how easy it is to say yes
to please strangers
with family, the no comes easier
with them, I just don't have
to manage perception

seems like constant roadwork
is growth in my neighborhood
new pavement laid
some parts always under construction

I used to shrink my voice
to fit in 
when “agreeable” was my compass
but 
why even take space in a corner
that had no space for me
in the first place?

becoming was never supposed to be easy
an old compass still recalibrating
pulling back that fiery aura 
from birth to my present

I say NO now.
It wasn’t even the words
but the fact I spoke up
I got fire back in my voice
no one can contain it 
shrinking is just not an option

don’t think for a second
I’ll bend again
I was made to be a lamp on a hill
so Grand 
is my new middle name
respect or not, approval or not
who cares?

’cause I’ve seen these eyes before
the same eyes
that crucified a perfect man too
my life was never just about me
so how could it be about you? 

---

Heart Call:

God has already prepared the room for you. Every new level brings new battles—new spaces to speak up.

• How will you keep stepping into the calling He’s placed on you,
  no matter how people see you?

• What do you need to bring into the light
  with a trusted mentor (not a friend) instead of carrying alone?

---