The Courage to Be Seen
We speak of armor as if it saves us,
But what of the rust it breeds within?
The pitfalls of our social strata,
Make honesty both virtue and sin.
Layers of taking social inventory,
Peeling back what we hide so clean.
What exactly do we learn?
When learning itself feels obscene.
If we don’t stop, we’ll find our frienaissance purgatory,
Where trust is traded, and hearts convene.
It may take years to overcome our vulnerability,
But years are short in the grand human machine.
We often think of this as a weakness,
Not knowing that gentle hearts are keen.
But once you peel back the layers of your protective castle,
You meet yourself—unmasked, serene.
It can be seen by many as a strength,
To tremble and still be seen.
The courage to jump in the deep end of a pool,
Is to baptize your fear in the in-between.
Maybe jumping off the high dive,
Is how we wake from our routines.
The first time can be certainly scary,
Yet fear’s an old ghost dressed in routine.
But after you achieve this you then may certainly thrive,
For trust grows wild in places unclean.
Carl Rogers whispered softly to the trembling,
“The power lies in being seen.”
In presence, not persuasion,
We find the quiet might of the between.
When someone listens without demand,
You learn your cracks can gleam.
Client-centered heartbeats echo softly,
Where words mend tears unseen.
We expose our fears not to be fearless,
But to know they do not own the scene.
Fearless is not empty of fear,
It’s fear held softly—peace in between.
So let’s drop the swords, unlace the masks,
And speak where silence has been.
For vulnerability is not surrender,
It’s the rebellion of the humane, unseen.
Trust grows not in safety,
But in souls who choose to lean.
We are strongest when most fragile,
When truth and tremor meet midstream.
And maybe courage, after all,
Is loving in the open, raw, and clean.

…

DCG