The Black Sheep: The Flame That Wouldn’t Die
By Fabian Stennett
They never say it out loud — but you feel it in the pause.
The way your name lingers too long in the air,
like smoke from a fire they swore they put out years ago.
You are the black sheep.
The family’s contradiction.
The truth they deny in daylight,
but whisper about after dark.
They love to hate you —
because you remind them of everything they’ve buried.
And they hate to love you —
because despite the exile,
you still shine.
You don’t wear your scars for sympathy.
You wear them like armor.
Because in a house where silence is tradition,
you chose to scream.
In families built on image,
authenticity is rebellion.
You became the mirror they never asked for —
reflecting back the lies they live in,
and the love they give with conditions.
They said you were lost.
You were never lost.
You just refused to walk the path that led to nowhere,
with a smile that said “I’m fine” when everything was burning.
But pain doesn’t always come from strangers.
Sometimes, it wears your last name.
Sometimes, it shares your childhood bed.
My own brother once told me
he’d rather see my grave
than see me again.
Let that sink in.
Not because I was evil —
but because I wouldn't play dead
for their version of peace.
Black sheep?
No — you are the untrained lightning.
You are the note that doesn't fit the song,
but makes the whole damn melody matter.
You were born in the same bloodline,
but you were carved from a different storm.
Not broken. Not bitter.
Just awake.
And they fear what doesn’t sleep.
Let them talk.
Let them point.
Let them tell stories that make them feel better.
Because deep down —
they know:
You didn’t break the family.
You just refused to keep pretending it wasn’t already broken.
To All the Black Sheep
This is your reminder:
You are not wrong for being different.
You are not a burden for asking questions.
You are not unlovable because they can’t understand you.
You are not their shame.
You are their unspoken truth.
And truth, no matter how unwelcome,
has a habit of surviving.
Keep walking.
Keep roaring.
Keep being exactly what you are:
Unapologetic.
Uncontainable.
Unforgettable.
Black sheep?
No — you're the shepherd of your own soul .
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