The Real You

I've seen you before, The real you, The person that only shows up Late at night, The you that shows up When we're alone Together. Not the laughing face That greets the world, But the quiet face, Tired and worn, Sitting on your bed With your head in your hands. The shaking hands of anger As it courses through your veins, The way your voice cracks When you try to say What you can’t bring yourself To admit out loud. And I can see it, The battle you fight The weight you carry That no one else sees, The way you hide it, Shielding it with jokes, With a mask, Trying to act like everything’s fine When it’s not. I know you, Better than you think, I know the quiet hurt That follows you Like a shadow, The way your eyes get lost When you’re pretending To be somewhere else. But I'm here. I’ve seen you like this before, And I’m not going anywhere. Even when you're not sure If anyone truly gets it, I do. I see the parts of you You don’t want to show, And they don’t scare me Because they’re the parts That make you who you are. And, my goodness, I’m proud of you, Even on your darkest days. So don’t hide it. You don’t have to carry this alone. I’ve seen you before, The real you, And I'm staying, Right here, With you.