If your disappointment stained my youth, may I paint the rest of your life with resentment? 

But I don’t know revenge. You’ve raised me deprived of personality, buried under the facade of a good child. I don’t hate you; I’m void of hatred. 

Now when I look at you, even through blurry video calls, all I can see and hear is your love. You never tell me you love me, but I know you do. 

So mom, if I think about it hard enough, will I be able to say “I love you” without opening my mouth?

Written by Sunny