I did not know its face before,
This shadow draped in silence.
Not anger's flame, but something more,
A cold, relentless violence.

It crept in slow, yet settled fast,
A hatred laced with sorrow.
A love once present couldn’t last,
As bitterness took roots and burrowed.

It promised power, safety, pride,
A wall to guard the ache.
But peace and joy were pushed aside,
With every step I would take.

Now in the stillness, truth appears:
This rage I thought had freed me,
Was just the echo of my fears,
And chains that would not leave me.