One Billboard Changed Me

I have always thought if I stayed in my lane If I angered no one If I used a soft voice If I hid the real me I would not be maimed or murdered. Be unassuming, my mind said. Above all else, do not show the real you. Then I saw a billboard that said this: “The world needs who you were meant to be.” I transformed myself from rabbit without voice to a dragon. My thoughts and feelings thundered down on people. Within a few months I went from passive to aggressive. Not understanding yet the effectiveness of being assertive.