Head Held High

You heard the windows shaking,

Thought you heard my courage crack.

I was counting out the seconds

Till the wind was at my back.

You kept looking for the wreckage;

I kept looking for the coast.

You were sure you had me cornered

When I needed you the most.

Call it quiet, call it weakness,

Say I took too long to leave.

You were listening for me breaking;

I was learning how to breathe.

Head held high through the hurricane,

I kept moving through the driving rain.

You were waiting for me to break;

I was waiting for the wind to change.

Took my time, kept my course,

Found a life beyond your shores.

You thought the storm would bury me—

Now look at me, I’m free!

I’ve been through the hail and whiteouts,

Seen the sky turn warning green.

Watched the tallest trees around me

Bow to things I couldn’t see.

Still, I found my rhythm in it,

Kept my breathing slow and deep.

You were busy making chaos;

I was making plans to leave.

Every pause had its purpose,

Every small step had its place.

You mistook my steady heartbeat

For a heart you’d taught to break.

Head held high through the hurricane,

I kept moving through the driving rain.

You were waiting for me to break;

I was waiting for the wind to change.

Took my time, kept my course,

Found a life beyond your shores.

You thought the storm would bury me—

Now look at me, I’m free!

I had counted every exit,

Had my future tucked away.

While you swore I’d never make it,

I was choosing my own day.

I don’t owe you any wreckage,

I don’t owe you one more fight.

I can hear your thunder fading—

And I’m sleeping through the night.

Head held high through the hurricane,

You can scream; I won’t turn back again.

You were waiting for me to break;

I had learned how to ride those waves.

Took my time, kept my course,

Now my footsteps land on shore.

You thought the storm would bury me—

Hear me now: I’M FREE!

Let the last rain leave my shoulders.

Let the salt dry on my skin.

There’s a morning on the water—

And I get to live in it.