Years in the dark, counting cracks in the wall,
Thought every sunrise would never come at all
Breath after breath, I carried invisible stones,
Built whole cities inside broken bones
Now the air tastes different, I don’t know why,
Maybe hope was waiting where I stopped asking why
No fireworks, no angels calling my name,
Just a tiny spark, and nothing stayed the same

Don’t wake me
If this is real
Don’t steal this feeling

I found joy
Quiet as the morning
Soft enough to hear my heartbeat slow
I found life
Hidden in the silence
Never loud
But brighter than I know

No crown on my head, no gold in my hands,
Just people I love finally learning to stand
The weight didn’t vanish, it simply grew small,
Because someone whispered, “You survived it all”
The clock still moves, but it no longer wins,
Light found its way through the cracks in my skin
Every deep breath feels borrowed from tomorrow,
Every smile rewriting yesterday’s sorrow

Joy doesn’t shout
It breathes
It waits
It stays

I found joy
Quiet as the morning
Soft enough to hear my heartbeat slow
I found life
Hidden in the silence
Never loud
But brighter than I know

I found hope
Floating through the darkness
Like the first light breaking through the cold
Every scar
Learned another language
Every tear
Turned into gold

I found peace
Breathing in the silence
Nothing left to prove or run below
If tomorrow disappears before the sunrise
I can finally say
I know

Joy was here
All along