I let others grieve for me
And then in turn, I blamed myself
I couldn't open up
Nobody would help me, at least, those that should be
I should've been afraid
Rigid in the fear to not be willing to change
Comfortable in the denial

We're all like that
We freeze as if time has stopped around us
But we still feel the unasked for hands
The force we're too afraid to deny
And then we beat ourselves up in various ways
To cope with the weight of it all on our shoulders

The telltale heart beating so loudly,
it drowns out the other sounds we want to forget

Some survive, without moving forward

Others disappear internally,
not to be found again

While I...
I heal, repair the damage, open up, and when I'm ready...

I finally speak it's name.

And am reborn, not as a victim, but as a survivor.