Stone upon stone,
the walls were raised;
each block a silence,
each silence a debt
never spoken of aloud.
Within,
the child’s voice echoed,
but the mortar held fast,
sealing grief in chambers
where no light could enter.
From the outside,
the fortress looked steady,
even noble--
its towers reaching upward,
its gates well-kept..
its banners bright.
But within its walls,
rot thickened
and the beast..
undisturbed,
found shelter.
Every silence defended it.
Every smile concealed it.
Every careful word
laid another stone
against the truth.
And though the watchman cried,
the city called the fortress beautiful.
Every fortress defends
but none heals.
Every wall that protects
is also a wall
that imprisons.
Trauma builds with silence as mortar. Each unspoken truth becomes a stone in the wall, each careful smile a tower that hides what festers inside.
From the outside, the fortress looks strong.. even admirable. But within its walls, the beast remains untouched. This piece speaks to the architecture of denial: how families, communities, even whole societies build fortresses that protect appearances while sacrificing souls.
And to those who build their fortresses of silence, who entrench themselves in deception and call it strength.. this is for you. There are battles that words alone cannot soften, and for those battles the posture is Headstrong.
This is where the silence ends. The fortress you defend cannot heal, and the fight you dismiss as madness will not bow to your walls.
For those who choose to be self-entrenched.. who make the fortress their stronghold, hiding behind its ramparts a counterfeit “strength” built from the empty pit of unresolved years, dressing up brick and mortar to conceal the hollowness within.. this song is for you--
"Conclusions manifest
Your first impressions
got to be your very best
I see you're full of ****
and that's alright
That's how you play,
I guess you get through every night..
Well, now that's over
I see your fantasy
You wanna make it a reality
paved in gold
See inside, inside of our heads, yeah
Well, now that's over"
I see your motives inside
Decisions to hide
https://youtu.be/hYW5iD6eqM8?si=ye8lzLVMbRkPE63Q
This is not where you belong.
The fortress cannot stand forever
The child will outlast the walls.
Selah
xo