A Silence That Kills

It’s quiet outside.
No, not quiet.
Silent.

Snow’s covering the ground,
It's muffling all sound,
And the river’s frozen still.

The birds have quit singing,
But my ears are still ringing,
This is a silence that kills.

It’s quiet inside.
Only quiet, never silent.
Still, it’s as close as we get.

A book falling closed,
A man uncomposed,
Mourning an end that didn’t begin.

The sigh of someone whose mind is made,
One last time, they tried, they prayed,
Prayers that went unanswered again.

A deep breath to hold back the tears,
Tired of a world who never hears,
How much longer can we last?

Hurried steps, wearing the floor,
Anxiety leaking from every pore
Of a girl whose future has come too fast.

It’s loud within.
Never quiet.
Never silent.

Bursting at the seams with what’s unspoken,
Bending under pressure, but still unbroken,
I think it's time I share these words:

I won’t be silent.
I won’t stay quiet.
Today I will be heard.