“Dear Silent Sufferers” A Letter & Poem

Dear silent sufferers,

I come to you with the full heart and an honest mind. I come to you with eyes wide open seeing all that you are, and all that you limit yourself to be. I recognize the pain, even though you don’t say anything. I hear your cries beneath that wide smile. The heaviness behind your eyes like boulders blocking the light.

When will you give yourself permission to speak? To speak freely. To come out of the shadows and allow your wounds to meet the air they need to heal. To permeate the layers of masks, I mean skin, and allow your soul to be touched. How long will you allow the suffering to continue?

As scary as it may be, I know there is power in your expression. I know because I’ve been you. Powerless, silent sufferer. Pretending my lack of vulnerability was a mechanism for protection. Performance is a defense that eventually becomes our weakness. I, too, have guarded my heart but just because you are wearing a shield doesn’t mean the pain beneath doesn’t sting. You, like me, and I, like you, have learned that hiding our injuries feels more comfortable than showing the blood flow. But if the blood drains out, you’d end up cold anyway so why not let it be seen?

Suffering in silence makes the story you tell yourself true. The story that says no one cares, that no one will ever see the real you. “I’m so misunderstood and nobody wants me.” These thoughts get louder at night in the silence of stillness. So I ask you again, if your pain still screams at you in the darkness… Why not let the screams be heard in the light? Suffer if you must, yes. But let your suffering be free. Allow it to echo and be released. 

Yours truly,

Sho 💋