I used to pause before I spoke Used to weigh the aftermath Every word felt like a line I wasn’t ready to cross back I told myself it wasn’t me Just the pressure, just the heat Just the cost of staying upright When the ground slips under feet I kept saying it’s temporary Kept my hands clean in my head But repetition dulls the edge Of the things you swore you’d never get I said this isn’t who I am Just a phase I’ll outlast Just a moment wearing thin Under weight I couldn’t pass I said it’s only what I need Just enough to make it through I didn’t see the shape it took I didn’t feel it changing me Unmistakable I learned distance keeps you safe Keeps the noise outside your chest I learned names are just distractions When efficiency works best I stopped asking how it lands Started asking if it works Started measuring the fallout Like it wasn’t going to hurt Every line I used to fear Turned into a suggestion Every silence felt like proof That I’d made the right corrections I said this isn’t who I am Just the role I had to play Just a compromise with time Just a debt I’d someday pay But excuses wear out fast When the mirror doesn’t blink And the face that’s staring back Doesn’t look like it can think Unmistakable I stopped counting who it costs When the outcome stayed the same Stopped pretending there was weight In the words regret or blame Something settled in my chest Not a scream just pressure set And I realized too late I wasn’t fighting it This is what remained in place When resistance ran out Not a fall not a break Just the quiet letting go There’s no mask left to remove No second voice inside If this feels familiar now It’s because it’s mine Unmistakable I don’t argue with it anymore
