Raised by absence

She learned his footsteps before his face

The sound of keys meant hide your place

Her name stayed trapped inside her throat

Like saying it might make him notice her

His voice was never loud, just sharp

Like glass that cuts without a mark

Silence followed him like a rule

And love felt conditional, cold, and cruel

She cleaned her room like it was a test

Held her breath when she tried her best

Every mistake became a crime

Punished with looks that lasted time

She was a child who walked on air

Afraid to exist too much somewhere

Learned how to disappear in plain sight

So she wouldn’t ruin another night

He never hit her, and that’s the lie

Everyone says when they ask her why

But fear doesn’t need a bruise to stay

It just needs someone who looks away

She flinches when doors are closed too hard

Apologizes when she’s not at fault

Calls it respect, calls it control

Calls survival the shape of her soul

She grew into someone easy to blame

Let men raise their voices, call it the same

Because chaos feels like something known

And calm feels like being left alone

She dreams of screaming, but wakes up small

Still waiting for permission to feel at all

Still scared he’ll find her, even now

Even grown, even safe somehow

She doesn’t miss him, she misses peace

She misses the fear someday might cease

But fear has a memory, a voice, a name

And it sounds like his, and it feels the same

So if she loves you, it comes with tears

With shaking trust and borrowed years

Don’t ask her why she pulls away

He taught her love always ends in stay… quiet… behave