She Hides The Fire Poem by Zaza Adeniyi

She burns on the inside,
a quiet heat she never shows,
the kind that sits behind her ribs
and pretends to be fine.
She laughs in the daylight,
but at night her thoughts flare up,
sparks turning into storms
she can't switch off.
She told two friends,
voice shaking,
hoping trust might cool the fire—
but the flames still rise
when the overthinking hits.
So she hides it.
Hides the trembling,
hides the heat,
hides the way her chest tightens
for reasons she can't explain.
She wants to stop feeling like this,
wants the burning to fade,
but some nights
the thoughts come too fast
and she can't outrun them.
Still—
she holds on.
Quietly.
Softly.
Bravely.
Even when the fire inside
feels too bright
to hide anymore.