Unheard Echoes

In the shadows of my childhood,

A monster lurked, wearing a familiar face.

Hands that should have protected

Instead became instruments of violation.

I gathered my courage, a fragile thing,

And spoke my truth in trembling whispers.

But the words fell on deaf ears,

Dismissed like autumn leaves in the wind.

"You're imagining things," they said.

"Stop seeking attention," they scolded.

Their disbelief - a second betrayal,

Cutting deeper than the first.

In mirrors, I saw a stranger,

A child with eyes too old,

Carrying secrets too heavy,

In a world suddenly too cold.

Nights became a battlefield,

Sleep, an elusive friend.

Memories haunted like restless ghosts,

While silence became my only confidant.

Years passed, each day a struggle,

To find my voice, to reclaim my worth.

The truth remained, unyielding,

Even as others chose willful blindness.

But within the depths of my pain,

A seed of resilience took root.

Nourished by tears and determination,

It grew into an unbreakable spirit.

Today, I stand tall,

No longer that voiceless child.

My truth may have been denied,

But it was never erased.

To those who wouldn't listen:

Your disbelief didn't change my reality.

It only revealed your own limitations,

Your failure to protect and believe.

And to those still trapped in silence:

Your truth is valid, your pain real.

Even if the world turns away,

Know that you are heard, you are seen.

For in our survival lies our strength,

In our voices, a powerful chorus.

We are the authors of our own stories,

And this chapter does not define us.