Who will hold her exhaustion when it gets too heavy
Exhaustion was a burden she would always have to carry
A lingering shadow that gave her no peace
Even haunting her in her sleep
Her most notable feature
Was her eye bags so heavy
They begged to be heard
Screamed to be released
Hoping someone will save her from the abyss
Of Exhaustion
Tired from a life of always running
Away from racism
Hiding in the shadows to avoid judgement
For her the world was a prison
From when she was born they threw away the key
Punished for absolutely nothing
Except daring to exist as a black person
Her headaches a reminder of the pressure
To simultaneously fit in Whilst trying to be invisible
Trying to dim her blackness
This was the only way she knew how to live
In a world so unforgiving
Everyday was a constant battle
Wondering if life was worth living
Hoping for some miracle
To walk into her life and end racism
She knew this would probably not happen
Forever stuck in this constant cycle
Of living each day in silence
Damaging her body from the violence
Of killing parts of yourself
To hide the blackness
She didn't want this
All she wanted was peace
But sadly she knows this might never happen
Not because she was a pessimist
But because she lived in a world that forced her to be a realist
Copyright © Layla Riley-Hill | Year Posted 2025
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