Trapped in the cages you built around me
I am a strong woman but you seek to belittle me
And every word I speak is an attack on your character
Do you think me spiteful, hateful?
Or do you fear the truth you might find in my words?
I have tried to speak with a gentle voice—
And you did not hear me.
I have tried to shout with power—
And you shout louder to drown me out.
Now I roar with the breath of a dragon—
And suddenly I am dangerous indeed.
Chipping away at the chinks in your armor—
You are vulnerable now—
But your pride scrambles to shield the flesh exposed.
Witch, you call me.
Ungrateful, because you have given me everything.
I do not deny the things you have given—
Wonderful and bountiful indeed—
And for them, I am eternally grateful.
But respect cannot be bought
Nor can love or submission
Every day I grow stronger and I say:
I dare you to dismiss me again.
I Sit in Silence
I
Scream.
You hear the noise
But don’t understand the why
And I’m crushed under your weight—
Expectations, illusions, lies.
When was the last time we could say,
“We know everything—about the world, about each other.”
When was the last time we could say we knew anything at all?
When I cry, you laugh, and I shrivel inside
Unwatered, unloved, pushed aside.
I
Sit In Silence.
The noise builds inside me
Chokes my airways, lungs heavy with unspoken words,
Salt and sweat and so much ugly.
Cut me open, all the secrets I hide spill out,
Fill the pages of novels that you will never read,
Let them gather dust on shelves that never know life.
I
Scream.
You hear the noise,
But you don’t understand the why,
And you don’t try.