The deepest slavery is the hunger to be understood
so whispers Dostoevsky,
For we kneel before ears that may never open.
We polish our pain into language, hoping it will be believed.
Silence tightens its chains when meaning goes unanswered.
To be unseen is to labor endlessly at the self.
Freedom begins the day we stop begging mirrors to speak back.
And learn to stand whole, even when no one names us.
Feb 21
Feb 21, 2026 at 10:34 AM UTC
The deepest slavery is the hunger to be understood
so whispers Dostoevsky,
For we kneel before ears that may never open.
We polish our pain into language, hoping it will be believed.
Silence tightens its chains when meaning goes unanswered.
To be unseen is to labor endlessly at the self.
Freedom begins the day we stop begging mirrors to speak back.
And learn to stand whole, even when no one names us.
