They say it’s rules, procedures, law,
Paper shields to hide what they saw.
They claim they protect, they claim they care,
But the truth is buried somewhere in there.
We walk in with hearts still cracked,
Bones still bruised, minds still hacked.
We speak our truth, we show our fight,
They nod politely, then say “not right.”
Hours cut short, visits denied,
Our instincts questioned, our courage defied.
They think in forms, in boxes, in charts,
But they don’t see the battles in our hearts.
We survived fire they cannot feel,
Felt hands meant to heal break and steal.
Yet they judge what they cannot know,
Punish the vigilance trauma will grow.
Our walls, our caution, our scanning eyes,
Seen as paranoia, as lies, as cries.
But we are the warriors who lived the night,
While the system sleeps, blinded by light.
They train, they read, they study, they plan,
But never will they fully understand.
No book, no seminar, no courtroom seat,
Can teach the heat of the nights we beat.
So here we stand, scarred but alive,
The system ticks, but we survive.
We are instinct, fire, memory, bone,
And no policy will make us alone.
Mar 8
Mar 8, 2026 at 1:09 PM UTC
They say it’s rules, procedures, law,
Paper shields to hide what they saw.
They claim they protect, they claim they care,
But the truth is buried somewhere in there.
We walk in with hearts still cracked,
Bones still bruised, minds still hacked.
We speak our truth, we show our fight,
They nod politely, then say “not right.”
Hours cut short, visits denied,
Our instincts questioned, our courage defied.
They think in forms, in boxes, in charts,
But they don’t see the battles in our hearts.
We survived fire they cannot feel,
Felt hands meant to heal break and steal.
Yet they judge what they cannot know,
Punish the vigilance trauma will grow.
Our walls, our caution, our scanning eyes,
Seen as paranoia, as lies, as cries.
But we are the warriors who lived the night,
While the system sleeps, blinded by light.
They train, they read, they study, they plan,
But never will they fully understand.
No book, no seminar, no courtroom seat,
Can teach the heat of the nights we beat.
So here we stand, scarred but alive,
The system ticks, but we survive.
We are instinct, fire, memory, bone,
And no policy will make us alone.
Survivors are hardwired to protect, defend, and survive. The system misunderstands us, punishes our instincts, and stigmatizes what kept us alive.
