Chapter 42: the same soul

a journey in my own skinWords: 662

I am the same man I was

before the world tried to shape me.

The skin has changed,

the edges have softened,

but inside, I remain

who I always was—

a soul learning to be free.

The mirror reflects a new face,

but it is not a stranger I see.

It's the man I've always known,

the one who fought,

who loved,

who hurt

but never stopped believing

he could one day breathe in the air

of his own truth.

My intentions were never to change—

they were always about alignment.

I am still me,

just a me who now matches the body

I've fought to feel comfortable in.

I never stopped being the man I knew I could be.

Time has simply allowed me to become him

fully, without fear.