Shy Sun (poem)

after years of being told to tone down my light, it's no wonder my inner sun is shy...

Sawako Kuronuma from the anime "From Me to You" holding a sun in her hands with the cursive text "shy sun".

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As the image description above already mentioned, the raven-haired character above is Sawako Kuronoma, a teenage girl with social anxiety who overthinks most social situations she's in and feels like an outcast as a result. Her unique way of being seems to put off all of her peers for a while, but that's until she meets kind-hearted people who become her best friends and give her daily reminders that her light isn't too bright!

As my best friend once told me: "Cringe is just enthusiasm given to the wrong people." She is so right! I wasn't born a shy sun; the shyness was instilled by those who regarded me as "cringey". The hue of my inner sun is a bold one, and the lovely souls in my life have been helping me re-step into that unapologetic self. 🌞💛

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My inner child is a small shy sun,

fearing their brightness

will burn or blind—

a phobia born from being told

to tone down their light

more than thrice.

So I carry them in my arms,

especially during their solar storms,

to remind them that their presence

is nothing but effervescent warmth.

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🇬🇷Ντροπαλός Ήλιος

Το εσωτερικό παιδί μου είναι μικρό ντροπαλό ήλιο

που φοβάται ότι η λαμπρότητα του

θα κάψει η θα τυφλώσει—

μία φοβία που γεννήθηκε από

κατάκρισης να χαμηλώσει το φώς του

παραπάνω από τρείς φορές.

Οπότε, το κρατάω στα χέρια μου,

ειδικά στις ηλιακές καταιγίδες του,

να τον θυμίσω πως η παρουσία του

είναι αναβράζουσα ζεστασιά.