Chapter 39: the face of the earth

a journey in my own skinWords: 739

The rain lands softly

on the face that feels like mine,

like it's been waiting

for the sky to find it.

I tilt my head back,

letting the drops touch the roughness

of a jawline I've grown into,

the softness of a beard

that's beginning to shape itself.

The wind feels different now—

it dances through the strands

of hair that feel like me,

whispering secrets I've waited years to hear,

a promise that I belong here,

a human,

alive under the open sky.

The seasons embrace my face,

as if to say, "You were always meant

to feel the earth like this—

as a man,

as the human you are."

Each gust of wind,

each raindrop,

is not just nature—

it is a declaration,

a recognition of my truth.

The world has waited

for this moment as much as I have.