closed off

I was a locked door with no key, a quiet room in a burning house, learning to smile with my mouth but never my eyes. I didn't cry- I couldn't. Tears were a luxury I couldn't afford when I was too busy holding everyone else together. So I shut down. Shut in. Stayed small, stayed silent, stayed safe. Because I knew what happened when people saw too much. They either left or tried to fix me- and I didn't trust either one.