When I Don’t Speak

© 2026 AgeonSmith. All rights reserved. You think the quiet means I’m fine, Like silence doesn’t bruise. But I’ve been holding storms inside With nothing left to lose. Every word I never said Still echoes in my head. I learned to lock the door instead Of letting chaos spread. It’s not the shout, It’s not the fight It’s what I bury Every night. When I don’t speak, It doesn’t mean I don’t feel. When I don’t break, It doesn’t mean I can heal. You hear the quiet But you don’t see What silence does to me. I’ve mastered calm like armor skin, Like steady hands in flame. But strength can turn to discipline That slowly feeds the shame. No explosion. No collapse. Just cracks. If I ever let it surface, If I ever let it through You’d see it wasn’t weakness, It was everything I couldn’t show you. When I don’t speak, It doesn’t mean I’m strong. When I don’t fall, It doesn’t mean I’m wrong. You hear the silence But underneath, There’s a war in me.