Strings and Silence

I am the puppet and the hand

The silence in the room

The weight I cannot stand

They see the smile I wear like skin

But underneath, I'm paper-thin

I pull away when love gets near

Not out of hate —

It's just the fear

I crave connection

But I bruise too fast

I want to matter

But I live in the past

Can't you see the chains I wear?

I'm bound by voices only I hear

Longing just to feel enough

But breaking when I feel too much

I scream without a sound

Won't someone cut me down?

I give and give, just not to me

Make others shine — then let them leave

I'm terrified to need someone

'Cause when I do

They always run

"You're too much."

"You're not enough."

"Just be okay."

"Why are you so rough?"

There's a mirror in my mind

A version of me I can't find —

The one who reaches through the glass

And dares to say

"You'll be free at last."

Can't you see the chains I wear?

I'm bound by shadows I can't repair

Longing just to feel enough

But drowning when I give too much

I reach but can't be found

Won't someone cut me down?

Or show me how

To save myself somehow