The Girls Who Never Said It Out Loud

She holds her breath in the boardroom

Smiles through the talking over her name

Keys in hand

Walking to her car

Heartbeat counting every step she takes

She laughs it off in the group chat

Types “I’m fine” then deletes

Starts again

But we read between the trembling lines

We know that language too well

This is for the girls who never say it out loud

Carrying the weight

Always playing it down

We see you

We feel you

You’re not alone in this

Hands up for the ones who hold each other up high

Rising from the ashes every time that we cry

We got you

We got you

Sisterhood in the silence

She hides the bruise with foundation

Calls it “clumsy”

Laughs it away

She learned early to shrink herself

So they’d stay safe

So she’d be “okay”

But when she shows up at my doorway

Eyes red

Shaking in my arms

We build a fortress out of blankets

Swear her story won’t be harmed

We pass our armor

Dress by dress

Lipstick

Jackets

“Girl

You’re blessed”

We trade our scars like

Secret maps

“I’ve been there”

“I made it back”

[low vocal register] When the world says “quiet”

We get louder

Louder

[gang vocals] Name by name

We pull each other

Out of the fire

Out of the doubt