365 days of silence & fear

Hands bare the hardness of diamond

But as valueless as a hammer 

Skin made of steel 

Until I no longer feel 

Cheeks as tall as Everest 

To put the escaping tears under arrest 

Muscles, another concrete pillow 

Built to embrace the pain that billows 

Heart kayaks on the lake of tears

Like Zulu warriors on lake Victoria with spears 

Each day, I crack 

Fighting to catch a smile back 

          &

This is how I survive every 24hrs

In my country/I have no choice but to cower.