Sometimes I feel like I need to cry
And that’s okay.
Those are the days that I look forward to the most.
Those are the days that I need the most.

You taught me to stuff my feelings away
Because they weren’t as important as yours.

You taught me to hide my face
Just to save face.
Because you needed a smile on your mask.

You taught me to keep my throat locked up
In fear that I might say the wrong thing.

Sometimes I look back at little me
And beg her to cry.
Sometimes I have to find her
Hidden inside myself,
And invite her to cry with me.

Cry for all the times she wasn’t allowed to.
For all the pain that she endured.
For all the loss she suffered.
For every time she locked her tears away.

But now, as I sit in my room and write,
I let the tears fall down my cheeks.
They spill from my eyes
And the emotions pour from my heart.
I had to unlearn everything you taught me.
And that’s okay too.