They called her names for daring to change,
mocked the glint of her piercings, the ink-black nails—
her armor, her manifesto,
a battle line drawn between truth and illusion.
Their whispers slithered through locker rooms,
hushed and sharp, as if difference were a disease.
She bore their labels like a shield,
choosing solitude over shallow smiles,
each sideways glance cutting her off,
yet somehow making her feel more herself.

But words carve deeper than stares.
Their venom lingered, a slur that curdled in her veins.
They didn’t know—couldn’t see—
the fear curled beneath her practiced grin,
how a friend’s laughter could falter,
how a gaze could harden overnight.
She already felt foreign within her own home,
navigating silences sharper than shouts,
enduring their quiet cruelty with every breath.

Now, new laws shadow her steps,
his promises forging unseen chains.
Will she always be an exile here?
Once cherished, once safe,
now cast aside—
a distorted reflection in their narrowed eyes.

Friendships fracture in an instant,
split by forces beyond her reach.
Chained not by choice, but by love,
trapped in a space too small to grow,
wondering if she will ever be free.