Soft, Steady Things

They told me I’m “too much,” then left when I cried

Made me feel worthless the more that I tried

I bent myself smaller to fit what they’d need

But love always felt like a trick made to bleed

Then you came along and you saw something new

A version of me I wish I once knew

I like how you see me, so soft, so complete,

A vision of grace when I feel obsolete

You call me a light, say I brighten the room

While I sit in my shadow, expecting my doom

You laugh when I speak, like it’s music, a song

But I brace for a wince, for the moment I’m wrong

My voice, to myself, is too silly, too loud

But you listen like I’m the hush in a crowd

You think I’m perfect, I flinch at the word

It lands like a secret I’ve never quite heard

To me, I’m too much, or maybe not enough

Just playing pretend when the world gets too tough

Imposter syndrome claws deep at my skin

Whispers you’ll wake up and see through what’s been

That one morning you’ll look and just quietly know

That I’m not who you thought, then, like them, you’ll let me go

But then there’s your gaze, and the calm that it brings

Like I might be worthy of soft, steady things

And slowly, your faith starts to shift something true

If you think I’m lovable… maybe I do too

And maybe, just maybe, there’s one brave little truth

Because you see me…

I might love you too