In the quiet of the night, shadows whisper,
A tale of anguish, cloaked in silence,
Hidden beneath the surface, unseen by light,
The pain of the heart, bound in compliance.

Bruises not always seen, but felt so deep,
Words that cut sharper than any knife,
A soul that yearns for the peace of sleep,
In the tumult of a battered life.

Eyes that once sparkled now dimmed by fear,
A voice stifled, lost in the echoes of control,
The longing for freedom, ever so near,
Yet bound by chains that imprison the soul.

Hope, a flicker in the darkest of nights,
A dream of escape from the shadows that bind,
For in the dawn, there lies new heights,
The courage to leave the past behind.