To Learn My Name

I used to speak in borrowed tones, Trying to fit what love should mean, But every mirror that I faced, Showed someone I had never been. I kept my kindness out of reach, Afraid it might not be enough, Until the silence grew too loud, And I had to call my own bluff. Now I stand within my scars, Not as proof of what I’ve lost, But as the pages that I’ve read, To learn my name, whatever the cost. The moonlight paints the truth in gray, Not wrong, not right — just softly real, I let the weight of blame decay, And find the space to finally feel. Forgiveness isn’t letting go, It’s learning how to stay, With every part I couldn’t love, And whisper, “It’s okay.” Now I stand within my scars, And breathe the ache without the shame, Each flaw, a hymn, each bruise, a spark, That taught me how to say my name. I see the light through clearer eyes, No longer needing to explain, The gentleness I once despised, Becomes the proof I’ve changed. And if the past should call again, I’ll meet it with an open hand, No fear, no rush, no need to mend, Just love that understands. Now I stand within my scars, Not as proof of what I’ve lost, But as the pages that I’ve read, To learn my name, whatever the cost. And when I sing that name aloud, It trembles, but it stays, I am the sum of all I’ve found — And that is grace.