The Weight of Being Seen

It is 3:14 am. The house is holding its breath, and I am staring at the wall, wondering why we spend so much of our lives performing strength. We build these walls, these manes of pride, just to keep the world at a distance. We want to be untouchable. We want to be the ones who never flinch, who never need to ask for a place to rest. But there is a particular exhaustion that comes with being the one everyone expects to be powerful. It is a heavy, golden burden. You sit in the sun, you look composed, and you wait for the day to end so you can finally stop holding your own weight. We are all just animals looking for a patch of warmth where we don’t have to be anything at all. Who are you when the audience leaves and the sun goes down?

Leanne Lindsay has captured this quiet surrender in her work titled The King – Basking in the Sun. It is a reminder that even the most formidable among us need a moment of stillness. Does the silence feel heavier when you are the one carrying the crown?