Do you know how much it takes
just to say, “It’s okay”?
How many questions I swallow,
how much rage I fold into silence,
how much irritation I bury so deep
it almost feels like it isn’t there.
Just to say, “It’s okay.”
Because what choice do I really have?
Do I?
So yes,
I’ll be okay.
I’ll always be okay.
Or at least—
I’ll make it look that way.