Words

She hears them in the dark
In the whispers
And soft sighing sounds
of the night
She hears the cruel words
That have left their marks on her
Bruises and scars
She's hidden for so long
Casually slung from their mouths,
Yet as effective as a bullet
Finding it's target.
She doesn't retaliate
For how could she?
She bears it in silence,
Her quiet fury
Growing
Her quiet anguish
Tearing at her insides
"Someday," she thinks,
"Someday they'll like me."
And she tries to live
One more torturous night.