Scent of the Inner Garden I am a mirror held up to myself. Not for judgment, not for correction, not to resemble any image others might prefer; only to see— exactly as I am. I look into my own eyes, and instead of interrogation, instead of shame, instead of those exhausting comparisons, I choose to believe. I wrap my arms around myself like a branch finally finding its own trunk, like a root realizing the earth begins from within it. Inside me, the birds are not just birds; they are thoughts set free, that will never return to the cage of “must.” Inside me, the fish are not just fish; they are feelings that have moved beyond the fear of drowning and learned to breathe in the depth of themselves. The colors are not the noise of the world; they are witnesses— proof that whenever I believe in myself, the universe begins again. I am, for myself, everything: shelter, embrace, home, and that single point of light that each time I pass through it, I come closer to the truth of peace. The secret of serenity’s growth is nothing more than this: that one day, instead of running away from myself, I turn back and say: “I see me. And that is enough to begin loving.” Artwork Details: Digital Dimensions: 3543 × 4724 PX Resolution: 300 DPI File Size: 13 MB Physical Size: 30 × 40 cm Medium: Gouache, and collage on thick cardboard. Year: KHTOON 2026