They tell us—
Don’t make waves.
Don’t cause trouble.
Don’t speak out of turn.
Don’t name that pain
that bubbles, burns,
boils in your chest.
Don’t breathe its name aloud.
Don’t speak of your heart.
Don’t unravel your hurt.
Don’t write it down,
don’t post it,
don’t text it,
don’t thread it.
Don’t stim.
Don’t move.
Don’t blink.
Don’t yes.
Don’t no.
But I say this to you now:
Make waves.
Crash them into the edges of your soul.
Speak in the ways only you can.
Unashamed.
Unguilty.
Unapologetic.
Unrestrained.
To your ability.
To your truth.
And know this:
You are enough.
You are valid.
You are grand.
You are great.
You are true.
You are YOU.
That is waves.
That is real.
That is power.
They whisper warnings,
hissed threats in the shadows.
They say, “Be careful.”
For speaking.
For feeling.
For naming.
For existing.
For showing the world who you are.
They say it will invite hurt.
Oh, they will try…
Try to cower behind their words,
to grip tight the reins of control.
“Be quiet,” they say.
As if quiet is safety,
as if quiet will shelter you.
But hear this truth now:
Quiet is not safety.
Quiet is not peace.
Quiet is not warmth.
Silence is the cold hand
that presses against your mouth.
It will suffocate you.
It will bury you.
They’ll sell you this lie,
wrap it tight in their fear,
press it against your shackled chest.
“Don’t make waves.”
Shrink. Bend. Break.
Roll over. Stay small.
They promise dignity
in exchange for your submission.
But dignity born from respectability?
It withers.
It cracks.
It chokes beneath the weight of bias.
It poisons itself in the stench of stigma.
That isn’t dignity.
Those are crumbs.
Crumbs of a system that bullies.
Crumbs of hate, masquerading as care.
Crumbs scattered on a table
never meant for you.
But hear me now.
Speak.
Say what is burning in the cavern of your soul.
Cry out.
Cry out from rooftops,
from alleyways,
from corners
they’ve tried to lock you in.
Move. Stir. Create.
Do what you do
in the ways that feel
right,
raw,
and true.
Scream your truth.
Not for their comfort.
Scream it for your freedom.
And you,
yes, you.
Sitting there, holding your breath.
Waiting for permission.
This is your call.
Make waves.
Crash high.
Crash loud.
Crash true.
Move the tide.
Shape the shore.
Speak.
Make waves now.
English