I Ate the Silence

I was a happy child Carefree, talentless, happy Jumping around and singing tunes Tunes of bygone joy and unbridled dream But they scorned me They mocked the child I was within They tried to make me like them Children whose child within was slain But I persisted By God I persisted. I refused to sing only their tune Refusing the cocoon of their songs But the scolding were gone and the whips came With each Whack, a memory flies away Heavy groaning and bitter tears litter the courtyard Croaked voice and battered mouth As each day passes, the singing becomes lower Till I started humming their tune Then I stopped altogether Leaving only the silence as my precious dinner.