Validation arrives when you least expect it;
it arrives at a moment when you’re figuring simple math
it arrives at a moment when you are calm
it arrives quietly in your chest, in your heart
it arrives beyond you and between two other people spitting passive aggressive remarks at each other.

Validation arrives when you are not caught in the crosshairs;
it arrives in your silence as you wait for others to notice
it arrives in others’ inaction that matches the nothingness they gave you
it arrives next to you and with all the others in the room who
refuse to address what you stamped and sent ages ago.

Validation manifests long after the original postmark,
and you greet it with a large smile, a deep exhale, and an appreciation for its arrival.