swinging open the closet door, hearing it's whimper

as if I'm pulling off a bandage from a wound

old prom dresses, a graduation gown, and my mother's denim jacket

I inhale the dust and old perfume

In black garbage bags, a life I used to lead finds shelter

And then they are given a second chance with someone who will 

smile comfortably in the mirror and adjust them with pride

I shed my cocoon and offer my wings, I will no longer hide

And I think to myself, what I would say to the people who wore them next

I think of my father who felt a sudden pain in his chest

when he saw I would never be seen in another dress

he didn't understand then but he was trying his best

"Oh, I knew the girl who wore these

She shrived from existence and that may sound dreadful

if it weren't for the fact she never felt alive to begin with

But I heard from her ashes rose contentment"

And it took a while to get there, 

from nights crying about why I was like this

to being pushed down stairs and being teased for what I did to my hair

to self harm scars and losing the friends I still miss

And now, I watch my own existence being threatened

A military ban, a bathroom bill, trans students protections revoked

I was set to go to college in North Carolina but they had just legalized 

pepper spraying me if I was in the restroom and I was scared to go

I would not change the decision to come out for anything

That closet I walked out of has left room for so many possibilities

So, yes, I knew the girl who wore these

but she now goes by he

and he is finally free