TRAGIC Poem: Behind Closed Doors, by Rachael Rose

The walls are thick, the silence loud,
Beneath the weight, I’m not allowed
To speak, to breathe, to voice my pain—
A prisoner to love’s cruel chain.

The days are long, the nights are cold,
A story hidden, never told.
His words, like daggers, pierce my soul,
I wonder if I’ll ever be whole.

I smile for others, wear a mask,
Pretend to live, pretend to ask—
For help, for mercy, for release,
But all I feel is sharp decease.

The bruises fade, the scars remain,
Yet still I’m trapped inside this chain.
I tell myself, “It’s all my fault,”
A truth that cracks, yet never halts.

The love I sought, the dream I held,
Now leaves me fractured, weak, and quelled.
The hands that promised to protect
Are the same that hurt, that desecrate.

I’ve learned the dance, the careful ways,
To hide the pain, to mask the haze.
And though I weep in silent tears,
I hold the hope that one day clears.

I long for peace, for breath, for light,
To break this cycle, end the fight.
To find the strength I’ve yet to know,
And let the healing come and flow.

But still I wait, and still I stand,
A heart that trembles, a shaking hand.
For one day soon, I’ll find the door—
And step outside to live once more.