By: Zunaira Rehman

Identity is not what they call you
it is what you answer to when no one is watching,
it is not the version of you
that survives other people’s expectations.
It is the version
that exists when approval is no longer required.

For a long time
I thought I was made of what others saw,
their words became mirrors
and I kept adjusting my reflection.
Until one day, I no longer recognized the face
I was trying to protect.

It is strange
it can be borrowed for so long,
you even forget
it was never yours.
But somewhere beneath that noise
there is a quieter self.

Not louder, not more impressive
just real,
and it waits patiently for you
to stop performing and start returning.
To the real-self
to the identity.

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Zunaira Rehman is a Pakistan-based published writer whose literary work has appeared in magazines, newspapers, websites, and digests. She is also the author of the book, Eternal Melodies.