Not just air through my nostrils but space in my soul. Let me stretch, unfold, stumble without judgment. The world wraps too tightly sometimes, like a coat meant for someone else. Expectations weigh heavy. Voices louder than my own telling me what I should be, where I should go, who I must become. But what if I just want to be still for a moment? What if I just want to exist?
Let me breathe in silence.
Let me not have to explain the storm that rages within. I don’t want to smile just because the room demands it. I don’t want to nod when I disagree, laugh when I’m breaking. Let me show my scars without shame. Let me cry without apologies. Let me be soft in a world that tells me to be strong. Let me say no, not today. Let me walk away from the things that drain me. Let me turn my back to the noise and face the sun, even if it's setting.
Let me breathe, please.
Life moves so fast — notifications, deadlines, bills, expectations — all choking me softly with a smile. I’m tired of being strong just for the sake of it. Sometimes I want to be weak and be held, to collapse without fear of being judged. Let me breathe like the ocean — calm, wild, rhythmic — free to rise and fall in my own time.
Because this world doesn’t make it easy. But all I ask is this:
Let me breathe.
Not just survive, but live.
On my own terms. In my own rhythm. Without the weight of a thousand unspoken rules pressing against my chest.
Picture was sourced from pixabay.