She Didn’t Scream

(but you heard her anyway)

She didn’t scream.

She never had to.

Her presence did the talking.

Her silence? That was the echo.

They mistook her calm for weakness—

thought because she didn’t clap back,

she didn’t carry the ammo.

But baby, she been packing truth

in every glance,

grace in every pause,

and thunder in her stillness.

She learned how to bite her tongue

without losing her edge.

How to carry her pain

without performing it for applause.

She doesn’t raise her voice.

She doesn’t beg to be seen.

She just shows up,

fully… and unapologetically.

No spotlight needed.

No approval required.

Because when you’re built from scars,

you don’t flinch at noise.

She didn’t scream.

But every room still heard her.

And now? They’re listening.

Because her presence demanded their attention.

-Kae Jaye-