Ignite your voice: Why the end of victim's silence is powerful

Inspired by the feeling of helpless rage when you can't find the words to express yourself or defend yourself.

But stillness and silence do not last forever. And when they break, when we find our voice and discover its power, we ignite with all the words we have been burning to say.

Silence = violence. But victims' silence can originate from survival instincts for self-preservation. This poem is dedicated to those who have known the latter, and whose powerful voices need to be heard. ❤️

———

Before we ignite

—

Still

—

As a glass figurine .

—

Catatonic

Sitting, hearing, observing .

—

Frozen

In the space between the mind and reality .

Eyesight

Blurring as everything comes into focus .

—

Breathing

Slowly; shallow, fleeting .

—

Heartbeat

Irregularly keeping time ,

To measure the minutes and hours and seconds ,

And the moment between the thunder and the lightning strike ,

And the glass dropping and the instant it shatters .

—

Silent in the desire to ignite violent ,

Until, finally, we are fire.

———

If this poem resonated with you, please leave a ❤️, share it — or even a tip. 😊

You can find more of my poetry, stories and articles here.

You can connect with me in the Vocal Creators Cooperative Facebook group, a community centred around constructive feedback and mutual improvement. 😊

Some recommendations to other Creators' works on victims and survivors finding and using their voices:

EMKAY's Drugged in Vegas is a poem that bravely and powerfully wrestles with the trauma of a night when everything changed.

CLARA ELIZABETH HAMILTON ORR's poem Bleeding Heart reflects on the shift as abuse, narcissism and gaslighting are recognised — and how this knowledge empowers a survivor.

NICOLE WERNER's short story The Rebel Belle reminded me of some of the issues and trauma Meghan Markle experienced trying to conform to the expectations of a repressive system — until, ultimately, she broke away and defined herself.