The mirror in the fitting room flickers once then
Light tracing my collarbone
Someone laughs two doors down the hallway
Like this place still believes in first impressions
A jacket waits on the hook behind me
Its shoulders holding a different story
I rub my thumb along a loose thread
And feel how quiet it is to chew slowly
I've worn so many shapes for other rooms I forgot how my body answers
I don't need to fit into what looks right
Or carry a version that photographs well
I'm learning the weight of what settles
on me The way comfort doesn't have to sell
It's not about looking ready It's
finding what finally lets me breathe
Inside myself
The street throws glue across the glass outside
Taxi sliding past like edits My phone
lights up with the question I dodge
Because I already know my answer I
used to dress my silence in confidence
Call attention, what kind of grace?
Tonight I let my shoulders fall on
purpose Like I don't have to earn my place
There's a difference between being presentable And being present
I don't need to fit into what looks right Or
tailor my voice to the room I'm done shrinking
With parts that move too freely Just to arrive on cue
It's not rebellion It's choosing the version of me that stays
Longing would feel like approval A clean knot,
a softer fight
But it feels more like standing still
Long enough to recognize my own outline
No spotlight,
no final check No one telling me I passed
It's the quiet relief of not adjusting what already lasts
I don't need to fit into what looks
right I need what holds me when I move
I
don't need another polished answer Just something honest I can use
It is an engine It's choosing the life that finally feels like mine
And I walk
with the hanger empty Step back into the street
And carry only what moves with me
Without asking