Rules at sunrise, rules after dark,
Boundaries etched deep, leaving their mark.
“No need to question, just follow through
We know what’s right, we decide for you.”
Eyes trace my choices, the things that I wear,
Watching my messages, counting each door.
Friends turn to suspects, my voice stays small,
Care wrapped too tightly becomes a wall.
So I practice agreeing, a quiet disguise,
While tucking resistance where silence lies.
I swallow my doubts, let my real thoughts fade,
And grow hidden truths in the shadows I make.
I learn how to answer without saying much,
To keep every feeling just out of your touch.
Locking my mind where no one can see,
Shaping a place that belongs just to me.
I drift through hallways, soft as the air,
Avoiding the weight of your constant stare.
The firmer the limits, the sharper the tone,
The easier it is to exist unknown.
You build up the barriers, I study the seams,
Listening closely, outsmarting the schemes.
You call it protection, keeping me right,
But secrets take root just out of your sight.
I wish you trust the person I am,
Not only the version that fits your plan.
If love is gentle, if fear stays away,
I don’t have to hide the truth every day.
Because rigid control doesn’t help us grow,
It teaches division we come to know—
The self that you see, the one we must play,
And the one we protect and keep tucked away.
So here’s what I can’t say out loud even now:
Your rules make me cautious, not whole somehow.
You want a standard, flawless and wise
But cages don’t nurture, they foster disguise.
Apr 6
Apr 6, 2026 at 8:10 AM UTC
Rules at sunrise, rules after dark,
Boundaries etched deep, leaving their mark.
“No need to question, just follow through
We know what’s right, we decide for you.”
Eyes trace my choices, the things that I wear,
Watching my messages, counting each door.
Friends turn to suspects, my voice stays small,
Care wrapped too tightly becomes a wall.
So I practice agreeing, a quiet disguise,
While tucking resistance where silence lies.
I swallow my doubts, let my real thoughts fade,
And grow hidden truths in the shadows I make.
I learn how to answer without saying much,
To keep every feeling just out of your touch.
Locking my mind where no one can see,
Shaping a place that belongs just to me.
I drift through hallways, soft as the air,
Avoiding the weight of your constant stare.
The firmer the limits, the sharper the tone,
The easier it is to exist unknown.
You build up the barriers, I study the seams,
Listening closely, outsmarting the schemes.
You call it protection, keeping me right,
But secrets take root just out of your sight.
I wish you trust the person I am,
Not only the version that fits your plan.
If love is gentle, if fear stays away,
I don’t have to hide the truth every day.
Because rigid control doesn’t help us grow,
It teaches division we come to know—
The self that you see, the one we must play,
And the one we protect and keep tucked away.
So here’s what I can’t say out loud even now:
Your rules make me cautious, not whole somehow.
You want a standard, flawless and wise
But cages don’t nurture, they foster disguise.