"Twenty winters" pt-1

I was three when they said goodbye, No hugs that lasted, no lullaby. Dropped at the gate with a suitcase small, Too young to know, too numb to call. The walls were tall, the halls were wide, But nowhere safe for me to hide. A thousand eyes, yet none saw me — Just silence in a crowded sea. The other kids had homes they missed, Letters sent and birthdays kissed. I sat alone in dining halls, Felt the echoes bounce off sterile walls. They mocked my voice, they mocked my name, I learned too fast this quiet shame. I told myself, “It’s just a phase,” But some storms don’t pass — they stay, they blaze. Each year I stitched a stronger mask, Smiles on command, no need to ask. Learned to blend, to fade, to cope, To fake a dream, to kill all hope. And every time I tried to trust, It turned to ash, it turned to dust. I reached for hands that pulled away, So I stopped reaching day by day.