In shadows deep, where secrets hide,
I carry burden, deep inside.
Emotions locked, like a hidden key,
No one around to hear my plea.

Smiles worn as a mask each day,
Hiding the turmoil that won’t go away.
Words unspoken, thoughts untold,
A heavy weight on a heart grown cold.

The fear of judgment, the fear of pain,
Keeps me silent, keeps me restrained.
But oh, the toll it takes on me,
To keep my feelings locked, unfree.

Yet still I carry on this charade,
Hoping for a moment, a chance to wade
Into waters of vulnerability,
Where I can be seen, where I can be me.

Kelly