Unmasked

They are learning not to hide their face,
Nor shrink themselves to fit a space,
For years the world taught them to bend,
To mute their truth, to just pretend!

But masks grow heavy, hard to bear,
They dim the light that once burned there,
A practiced grin, a careful pose,
Cannot soothe the ache that slowly grows!

And now they rise with honest light,
They claim their voice, they choose what is right,
The path of truth is sometimes tough,
But hearts grow strong in genuine stuff!

They are shedding layers, slow but sure,
Finding freedom in what is pure,
Their truest self begins to shine,
Unmasked, unguarded, by design!

And in that openness they find,
They are not alone in heart or mind,
For many walk this same embrace,
A kinder world, a truer face!