Don’t twist my silence
Into something guilty
Don’t make my softness
A place for your fists to rest
I am not the echo
Of the people who hurt you
I am not the shadow
You get to kick
When the world feels too heavy
I carry my own storms
My own cracked windows
My own nights
Where I barely hold myself together
Do not add your thunder
To the roof already leaking
If you love me
Let it be a gentle thing
A hand that steadies
A voice that cools the room
Instead of setting it on fire
I am not your lesson
Your outlet
Your punching bag made of breath
I am a person
With a pulse that wants to stay whole
So hear me now
If your anger must land
Let it land somewhere
That isn’t my skin
My spirit
My name
And if you cannot love
Without breaking
Then let me walk away
Before your damage
Starts calling itself home
Inside my chest