Clipped wings

I've been screaming for so long

My aching throat feels raw,

And my wrists bruised black and blue

From your cruel hold;

Your shackles on me

have rendered my legs powerless,

My tongue, heavy from words I can't say

My lips sting, you've taped them shut so tight;

I've been crying out for so long

My eyes have run out of tears to shed;

Still my words don't reach you

And my voice has become

nothing more than white noise,

Yet you can't seem to hear me

No words of mine can eradicate

The poison in your mind

But I'll keep breathing life

Into my words, hoping

You might grow some ears one day.

Fayeeza Zareen is a young girl of sixteen, a conscious learner, and a conscientious writer in the making.