There is a quiet arrogance in believing you've seen the whole of another person.

You met my tenderness and called me gentle.
Another met my ambition and called me ruthless.
Another found my silence and called me distant.
Another found my laughter and thought they knew my soul.

None of you were wrong.

None of you were complete.

Perhaps the mistake was never in dividing me into pieces.

Perhaps the mistake was believing your piece was the whole.

We are not one story told from one perspective.
We are landscapes. Every path reveals a different horizon.

Do not ask me to become whole for your comfort.

Instead, have the humility to wonder what parts of me still lie beyond your sight.

--- Egypt Eve