Paper crowns

They only hear the loud ones…

The rest of us?

We learned how to bleed quiet.

⸻

I grew up in a folder, name on a line

Case numbers instead of birthdays and time

They said “be grateful,” handed me rules

But the bad kids got attention, I just learned to be cool

They loved the noise, hated the calm

Rewarded the chaos, ignored the alarms

I was the kid in the corner, back straight, polite

But surviving ain’t loud, it’s a silent fight

Teachers praised the trouble, said “at least he speaks”

I got gold stars for never showing I was weak

But nobody asks why the quiet one’s numb

Why the smile looks stitched instead of coming from lungs

⸻

Paper crowns on broken heads

They cheer the fire but not the thread

Kids who scream get help, I guess

Kids who cope just learn to dress

Their wounds in smiles, their pain in grace

Invisible scars on a polished face

I don’t cry, I just survive

But survival ain’t living — it’s staying alive

⸻

Foster walls echo with names that fade

You’re a file, not a future, just a choice they made

You behave? You’re fine. You rebel? They care.

So I learned real quick life ain’t fair

They say “good kids win,” but that’s a lie

Good kids just learn how not to cry

We don’t break plates, we break inside

Then they wonder why we don’t confide

I watched loud anger get therapy seats

While silent trauma got told “take a seat”

I wasn’t violent, I wasn’t bold

I was just a kid growing up too old

⸻

Paper crowns on broken heads

They cheer the fire but not the thread

Kids who scream get help, I guess

Kids who cope just learn to dress

Their wounds in smiles, their pain in grace

Invisible scars on a polished face

I don’t cry, I just survive

But survival ain’t living — it’s staying alive

⸻

No medals for manners

No cheers for restraint

No spotlight for healing

Just “you’re fine” and “you ain’t”

But the quiet ones carry the heaviest loads

Walking straight lines on crumbling roads

⸻

Now I speak for the kids who learned how to fold

Who got praised for being “mature” at years old

We ain’t angels, we just learned control

While the system sold pieces of our soul

You gave us beds, but not belonging

Rules, but no one for the longing

We survived storms you never saw

Now we’re grown with invisible scars

⸻

Paper crowns turn into steel

Quiet hearts finally heal

We ain’t weak — we’re real

Survival’s strength they couldn’t steal

You praised the fire, ignored the flame

But the silent ones rewrite the game

We’re still here, we still rise

Not just surviving — we’re claiming our lives.