I clutched my pain with white-knuckled fists,
And pushed it deep inside with angry twists.
I didn't want to burden anyone with my strife,
So I kept it locked in, out of sight, out of life.

With every breath I took, I felt the weight,
Of all the things I chose to negate,
And so I walked around with a silent scream,
Hoping that someone would hear and redeem.

But the more I kept quiet, the louder it grew,
Until it was a deafening sound, and I knew,
That I couldn't hold it in, not anymore,
It was time to release the burden I bore.

So, I let out a cry that echoed through the night,
A scream that shattered everything in sight,
I yelled, I screamed, and let it all out,
All the feelings I had tried to devout.

But as the words left my lips, I saw the pain,
Etched on their faces, like a permanent stain,
I didn't mean to hurt them, I didn't want to fight,
But my silence had caused a deep-seated blight.

I tried to explain, to make them see,
That it wasn't them, it was all on me,
But the damage was done, and the trust was lost,
All because my silence came at a high cost.

So now, I know better, I won't hold back,
I'll speak up when something is out of whack,
For the price of silence is too steep to bear,
And the cost of speaking up is a love that we share.