The Echos DON'T Die

You left the room.

But you never left my head.

I still hear footsteps when the hallway's empty,

Still feel the tension crawling through my skin.

Every slammed door turns the clock backwards,

Every raised voice pulls me under again.

I learned to read the silence,

I learned to disappear.

I became an expert at surviving

Everything I couldn't escape from here.

The danger is gone—

But my body doesn't know.

I'M FIGHTING GHOSTS YOU LEFT INSIDE!

SCREAMING AT SHADOWS IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT!

YOU BROKE THE TRUST, YOU FED THE FEAR,

BUT YOU DON'T GET TO OWN ME HERE!

I CARRY THE SCARS,

BUT THEY'RE NOT MY SHAME!

I SURVIVED YOUR VIOLENCE—

I WILL NOT WEAR YOUR NAME!

Sometimes I'm back in that place again,

Heart racing like the nightmare never ends.

I freeze, I run, I fight, I hide,

While the present disappears before my eyes.

You taught me that love could hurt,

That safety was a lie.

Now I'm learning something different:

I deserve to feel alive.

I AM NOT WHAT YOU DID TO ME!

I AM NOT YOUR MEMORY!

YOU HAD YOUR YEARS!

YOU HAD YOUR POWER!

BUT YOU DON'T HAVE

THIS FUCKING HOUR!

I'M FIGHTING GHOSTS YOU LEFT INSIDE!

SCREAMING AT SHADOWS IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT!

YOU BROKE THE TRUST, YOU FED THE FEAR,

BUT YOU DON'T GET TO OWN ME HERE!

I CARRY THE SCARS,

BUT THEY'RE NOT MY SHAME!

I SURVIVED YOUR VIOLENCE—

I WILL NOT WEAR YOUR NAME!

Some nights I still tremble.

Some days I still fall.

Healing doesn't mean

I never hurt at all.

It means I find my way back

When the memories pull me under.

It means the voice inside my head

Finally belongs to me.

THE PAST CAN SCREAM!

THE PAST CAN BURN!

BUT I AM HERE!

AND I WILL LEARN!

HOW TO BREATHE!

HOW TO TRUST!

HOW TO LIVE

WITHOUT YOUR DUST!

I'M FIGHTING GHOSTS YOU LEFT INSIDE!

BUT THEY DON'T CONTROL MY LIFE!

EVERY MEMORY, EVERY SCAR

IS PROOF OF HOW FAR I'VE COME!

I CARRY THE SCARS,

BUT THEY'RE NOT MY SHAME!

YOU MAY HAVE BROKEN ME—

BUT YOU DON'T GET TO BREAK ME AGAIN!

You left the room.

The echoes stayed.

But I'm still here.

And someday...

they'll be quiet.