She used to smile.
She used to laugh.
She used to be confident and clean.
Then one day, she was told to always listen to her elders — because they were always right.
So she did.
After that day, she obeyed every word they spoke.
And one by one, everything started to vanish.
Her smile.
Her laugh.
Her confidence.
Herself.
When she was finally old enough to make her own decisions, she didn’t know what to say or even do.
She was a little girl trapped in a woman’s body.
Everything the elders had told her clung to her like thorns, and her will to live slowly disappeared.
She was dead inside, but she always smiled.
She spoke about her struggles, but they laughed.
She tried to reach out, but was called a drama queen.
Even when she tried to end it all, they stopped her — not out of love, but out of pride.
They forced her to live a life she no longer wanted.
In the end, she had only her regrets to carry to her grave.
About the Creator
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Public Announcement Challenge Winners
For the Public Announcement Challenge, writers were asked to work inside voices built for control. These were notices, warnings, and updates meant to inform rather than confess. The strongest entries committed to that form and didn't break from it. Corporate memos, formal government alerts, and internal policy language were held consistently, allowing emotion, fear, grief, or humor to surface indirectly through pressure rather than declaration. The following poems recognize the voice of authority, and let human feeling slip through despite all its rules and restraint.
By Vocal Curation Team6 days ago in Resources
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