This facade

Lucky, they all told me

They just didn’t get it.

As they grew strong and bold,

I wished the opposite for me.

Hoping time would make my tongue softer,

less sharp, less unkind.

Instead, bitterness took hold,

And venom filled my mind

Wearing my patience thin.

They wanted to be stronger,

But strength became my curse

And I despise its tight bite.

I want to be weak,

To feel the freedom of weakness,

To escape this "strong woman" facade,

Fear grips me, I can't escape it,

As opinions turn to an outburst,

My articulation mistaken for aggression,

All this dedication labeled as delusion's sweet song,

Dreams of my youth are now lost illustrations,

My forced independence is simply insanity,

My beauty is hidden by bossy in written in bold,

Everyone listening when I speak means I take up space,

I need to shrink

To be fragile,

Small, yet placed on high shelves for safekeeping.

But my severity yells over,

My softest sighs.