To Truly See

You see scars that must remain hidden –

I see badges with stories to tell.

You see paralysing fear –

I see courage exercising caution.

You see imperfections –

I see character.

You see weakness –

I see strength.

You see someone broken by what they have endured –

I see someone shaped by what they survived.

You see hesitation –

I see discernment.

You see walls –

I see boundaries learned the hard way.

You see damage –

I see depth.

You see what was taken –

I see what was carried forward.

And perhaps the difference between us

is not what we are looking at,

but how open we are

to truly see.