When Silence Speaks

Indifference doesn’t start with silence loud—
It starts mid-thought, beneath the pleading shroud.
She’s said it calm, then cracked, then wrapped in grace,
Each time unheard—a ghost behind her face.

She stayed, not for ease, but for belief,
Loyal through her loneliness and grief.
Tried to fix the fracture you ignored,
Poured love from wells that never were restored.

But cups run dry, and voices start to fade,
Not in anger—just a heart unswayed.
When she stops repeating, stops the fight,
It isn’t peace. It’s dimming of the light.

So hear her now, while hope still makes her speak—
Before her silence, against the wall do break!

This poem carries immense emotional weight, capturing the fragile line between effort and indifference, devotion and disillusionment. It offers an achingly vivid portrayal of the internal struggle of someone who has given all they can, only to feel unseen, unheard—a “ghost behind her face.”

Sarah B. Royal’s use of imagery is both gentle and piercing: the “pleading shroud,” the “wells that never were restored,” and the “dimming of the light” all convey a sense of quiet heartbreak, the kind that settles in when hope begins to waver. The contrast between the calm persistence of the speaker and the ultimate silence that follows feels haunting and deeply resonant.

The final lines, with their plea for urgency—”hear her now, while hope still makes her speak”—inject an emotional immediacy that underscores the entire piece. It’s both a warning and a call to action, emphasizing that silence is not resolution but resignation.

This poem connects with many who have felt their voices slipping away.