'20 Years Of Silence & Scars' Poem by Alif Mehar

Today,20th February, I turn twenty,
Yet joy feels like a distant memory.
Two decades lost in love and pain,
In silent cries, in endless rain.

I gave my heart, I gave my trust,
Yet watched it crumble into dust.
Betrayed by friends, by blood, by ties,
Left alone with hollow lies.

Those I called mine, those I held dear,
Fed my loved ones doubt and fear.
Close ones whispered, poisoned their mind,
Turned them against me, made them blind.

And yes, maybe my words felt cold,
Maybe my tone grew sharp, too bold.
But did they ever stop to see,
The storm that raged inside of me?

They judged my voice, they walked away,
But never asked why I spoke that way.
Never searched for the pain I hide,
Just chose to stand on the other side.

They wove my name in whispered tales,
Twisting truths so their sins prevailed.
To hide their faults, they painted me wrong,
Made me the villain, all along.

I stayed quiet, lost, alone,
A heart of flesh, now turned to stone.
If I spoke loud, I bore the blame,
Yet no one asked why I became this flame.

20 years of broken dreams,
Of muffled screams, of torn-up seams.
Memories now fading fast,
Ghosts of a long-forgotten past.

And yet, I do not seek revenge,
Nor bitter words, nor cruel pretense.
I do not beg for love or light,
I do not seek to prove them right.

I forgive—not for their sake,
But so my soul may not break.
Though scars remain, I rise again,
Choosing peace instead of pain.

So here I stand, alone yet free,
With fire still burning inside of me.
Another year, another fight,
But I will always choose the light.