I am Wounded

I'm wounded

I don't know when it started,

I began to look past people's eyes

When time after time I was disappointed but not surprised

"I was a dealt a bad hand, I don't deserve this.

This is all my fault. I am caused all of this".

There was a light inside of me that went dim

It was there on the playground, in my laughs with friends

But slowly, reality crept in

A society that judges on the color of my skin

An education that omits the history of my kin

My schoolteachers were concerned, they saw something wrong

But I couldn't bring myself to utter my song

Fill the air with truth and make myself whole,

Instead I hid in silence

Hoping no one could notice

"Don't pay attention to me. I'm not hurt"

Because the truth was easier to swallow than accept

I am wounded

I flinch when people go for hugs

I self-isolate when times get tough

I don't want to make my problems anyone else's

But the silence has consumed my very essence

I've drowned my truth for so long I've forgotten what my voice sounds like

I'm older now, and you couldn't tell by looking at my face

But this is the front I show the world, to make me feel safe

I'm still the same kid, innocent before the pain

I'm wounded, sure, but I'm growing stronger every day.