Echo of the Insider

She said, *“I smile, but it’s thin like paper.”* He said, *“You're strong, you’ll be fine later.”* They said, *“You’ve got nothing to cry about.”* But inside, it was a storm she couldn't shout. The mirror didn’t reflect just stared. Her wrists whispered stories no one dared. The silence at night was a little too loud, Like screaming under water, lost in a crowd. But still She wakes. Each morning, a war. Each breath, a quiet act of more. The blade never gave her what she truly sought, Not peace, not love, just a temporary thought. A pause, not an end. A shadow, not rest. And slowly, she learns to put down the test. There is no shame in breaking, none in the fall. But healing that’s the bravest call. So she writes in ink, not scars this time, Finding her voice in rhythm and rhyme. She said, *“I’m still hurting, but I’m still here.”* He said, *“I see you now crystal clear.”* They said, *“You are more than what you feel.”* And she believed it because pain can heal.