I think it needed some more work.

___

"So I learned to ignore my joy. Deny it. Forget it...

Wait. That doesn't cut it. That's not what "masking" was like.

No. I didn't just bury my joy. I stuck a stake through its heart. Buried it back behind some shed in my memory. And let it rot there.

So y'all could feel comfortable around me...

*Without* my joy.