I:ve walked through fire wearing silence like armor, Smiled with salt on my lashes And no one ever asked why. The world sees the laugh, But not the fist I unclenched to hold hope. Not the wars I fought beneath my skin Just to get out of bed. I carry stories in my spine That even I haven’t read aloud But every breath I take is a verse of survival. Every tear that didn’t fall, A quiet rebellion. They said, “Be soft,” So I bled flowers through my wounds. They said, “Be strong,” So I stitched steel into my soul. And though I falter — I do not fall. Though I shatter — I do not scatter. I am cracked porcelain kissed by light. I am broken But still, I rise.