A silent scream trapped in my throat, A melody unheard, a forgotten note. I speak in whispers, shout in vain, My words dispersed like falling rain. They see the surface, the outward show, But miss the depths where feelings flow. A painted smile, a guarded face, concealing wounds I can’t erase. I offer truth, a fragile thing, But echoes bounce, and silence rings. My voice, a tremor in the air, Lost in a world that doesn’t care. They label me with careless ease, A tapestry of cruel decrees. “To sensitive,” “too much,” they say, And cast their judgments every day. “Dramatic,” “difficult,” “a mess, These words, a source of deep distress. They pin me down with judging eyes, And watch my spirit slowly die. I try to break these chain of lies, To show the truth behind my guise. To share the battles I have fought, The lessons learned battles bought. But walls arise, of doubt and fear, And clarity becomes unclear. My intentions twisted, turned around, My fragile self upon the ground. They hear the noise, the outward sound, But miss the meaning all around. The subtle cues, the hidden plea, The desperate longing to be free. I build a fortress, brick by brick, To shield myself from every prick. A lonely haven, cold and gray, Where I can hide and fade away. The weight of silence starts to press, A heavy cloak of loneliness. I long for someone to understand, To reach a helping, open hand. To see the fire in my soul, And make me feel complete and whole. To hear the music, soft and low, The secrets that I long to show. But shadows dance, and darkness falls, As empathy begins to stall. The bridges crumble, one by one, Leaving me stranded, all alone. I yearn to speak, to be defined, By who I am, not what they find. To shed the labels, break the mold, And have my story finally told. But fear still lingers, deep inside, That ill be judged, and cast aside. So I retreat, and hold my tongue, And suffer silently, unsung. The world keeps spinning, deaf and blind, To the true nature of my mind. And I remain, a whispered plea, forever lost, misunderstood, and free. Free from their grasps, yet bound by pain, A silent echo in the rain. A constant struggle, day by day, To find a voice, and find a way. To be heard, seen, and finally known, before my spirit turns to stone.