Yet still I wonder, quietly:

Is this pink mask the realest me?

I straddle two—both soft, both brave,

One takes the risk, the other saves.

I fight for love, not praise or fame,

To pull the broken from the flame.

A hunt for joy, to guard a grin,

To wear the pink and glow within.

Courage isn’t lack of fear,

It’s choosing to draw closer, near.

To touch a soul, to lift a friend,

To know that wounds don’t mean the end.

So ask me, “Who are you, my friend?”

The panther, or the man you send?”