Why can’t you give me the respect I’m entitled to?!
where’s that line from?
I tried to whisper the warning…
Child-sized hands tugging at grown sleeves,
my voice a lantern with too little oil.
“She is not who she seems,”
I said,
but the room always turned toward her
perfectly powdered mask,
her smile rehearsed
like a line from a play that never faltered.
Cracked in her eyes, rage in one and pain in the other
How can no adults see, what is so crystal clear
To a child like me
The walls knew the truth.
The hidden marks knew
Her shadows pacing the hallway
knew.
Yeah, the shadows she physically sees
The ones that cackle in her ears
To me she’s Mommie
But to everyone else
A masterpiece of control and poise,
Her laughter gracefully, polished and rich,
Her words, clipped roses with no thorns.
She carried madness in her pocket
like a secret rosary,
and I…
I carried the bruises of her silence,
the invisible welts of disbelief.
No one believed the child
who pointed at the ghost in the living room.
No one believed the small mirror
trying to reflect
What was never meant to be seen.
Yes, I’ll sit on the couch and never move
Oh I’m sure the adults think I’m so obedient for even 2
Rollerblading around the block could cost me my neck
But sure trust the mask that says its my confidence instead
She said what she said
So I learned to bury my voice
under hers,
What would be the point to speak?
to disguise myself
in order to survive.
And smile just as she did but a different pain
Cause the adults are completely useless
No matter how loud I viscerally scream
And yet,
I know the mirror still remembers
the girl pressing her face against the glass,
mouth moving without sound,
watching her truth disappear
Into the beliefs of someone she grew up to fear
The accolades she receives
But the glares are just for me
How dare I even challenge her to speak
A different face for each audience
Catering out of her own fear
To be warehoused away
It’s dangerous, I’m not safe
Oh little girl, you don’t know what you say
Your mother loves you dearly
So you’ll have to stay
About the Creator
Cadma
A sweetie pie with fire in her eyes
Instagram @CurlyCadma
TikTok @Cadmania
Www.YouTube.com/bittenappletv
Comments (1)
The poem’s intensity is palpable, with every line dripping with emotional weight. Cadma’s exploration of silence, disbelief, and survival resonates deeply and evokes a visceral response.