I see your eyes and look away,
Ashamed of all I didn't say.
Your kindness echoes through my mind,
While I just leave regrets behind.

You shouted and screamed,
Words that ripped seams.
"I provide for you, and you can't even be grateful?"
Head hanging low, listening- my silence was anything but hopeful.

I swallow the blame, though it wasn't all mine,
Each breath a confession each tear a sign.
I wanted to speak, but my courage would choke,
Crushed by the weight of the words you spoke.

I'm a terrible daughter, I know,
Good grades, good image, raise your head high to heights that soar.
Come home and tell me my reality,
A disgrace to your bloodline; a bad tapestry.

You crafted a mould I was meant to fit,
But cracks formed early- I never quite knit.
Smiles for strangers, but silence at meals,
I leant to bury the way my heart feels.

Oh, the countless nights spent with silent tears and loneliness as my only company,
Pain cut deep in my skin- so ugly.
The fake smiles and laughs of mine that you believed,
Make me realise how good I've gotten at make-believe.

I stitched my wounds with the secrets and shame,
Hoping one day you'd see past the name.
But daughter was just a title I wore,
While inside I was breaking- nothing more.

Mom and Dad I love you, and I know you love me too,
But I wish you just showed it more.