Unspoken Years

No one explained what feelings meant,

So silence grew where voices went,

The questions fell, the answers stayed,

A childhood lost in quiet shade.

We drifted out though bodies stayed,

Our eyes grew blank, our presence swayed,

A habit formed to leave the scene,

And in later life, felt in-between.

We gave replies that closed the door,

A hollow phrase, and nothing more,

The mask became a daily part,

A wall of words around the heart.

We shifted shape to fit the crowd,

Their wants were law, their praise allowed,

But every role we learned to play,

Erased the truth a step each day.

We carried weight no hand could share,

Refused the reach of offered care,

The vow of strength became our creed,

A sharpened pride that learned to bleed.

We smiled at jokes with vacant eyes,

We swallowed grief, we muted cries,

A steady calm that seemed complete,

But underneath, no pulse, no beat.

These lessons carved in early years,

Can rule a life through hidden gears,

But healing shows the muted part,

Can learn to speak, and free the heart.

Cathrine Hottran 2025