Late Night Messages

In the dark of night

Cruel voices speak.

They start with a whisper

Their words make me weak.

I listen in silence

And crawl back inside.

The messages they give

Reduce me to size.

Get small.

Go hide.

Don’t speak.

Believe the lies.

That’s the conditioning.

The lessons I learned.

Like a good girl I silenced

Every instinct I’d earned.

Late at night

They come calling

Sometimes I’m too weak

To send them off running

Their voices of defeat.