The Silent Contract
For too long,
I let you hold the reins,
A heaviness I wore
As if it were my own skin,
Not your fault — not really,
You never sought to claim them.
Yet with each flick of the reins,
I could feel every whip,
A sharp crack in the stillness,
Breaking the silence fiercely,
The sting of intention,
Like murmurs of the oncoming storm.
For too long, I gave you the power
That did not belong,
Unseen, unspoken,
A silent contract,
Where your voice echoed louder
Then the faint whispers of my own.
You never asked for it, that’s true,
This crown I placed upon your head,
A throne built on my low self-esteem,
While I stood in your court,
Allowing your thoughts to hold more weight.
I, the artist,
My silhouette, the canvas,
Painting my worth in muted tones
Highlighted with dull shades,
Of your judgments and…
