Wordsmithing - breaking walls

Following my #MeToo entry here a poem I wrote to go with it

Breaking walls

The past can be a prison

speaking out can break its walls

But the voices in your head 

keep you paralyzed and mute

Rationality tells you:

"I am not to be blamed"

Conditioning tells you:

"I should be ashamed"

Standing up tall as the walls rain down

Standing up tall as the spot light shows your frown

Shaming and blaming makes you feel small

Making you retreat behind your wall

A victim is humble, weak and shy

if you are strong they are asking WHY

Doubting your words not once but trice

you start questioning your sanity, isn't that nice?

Building your walls tall and thick

words closing you in brick, by brick

Half the walls are words of strength

keeping the world at arms length

Half the walls are made from shame and doubt

keeping you from breaking out

Standing up with your sisters and friends

clasping each other hand in hand

We slowly delayer the walls from inside

reasoning that we have nothing to hide

But showing your wounds, your Achilles heel

often makes it feel too real

The walls go back up

as if you set off a trap

Breathing in and breathing out

the tables just seem to keep turning about

Breaking the walls once and for all

standing up and staying tall

Breaking free and stepping outside

will take more than hashtags and pride.

It's what they have to understand

it takes more to make us mend

Emotions and feelings running too deep

making it hard to take the leap.

We want to be out there and standing up

but often our minds are trapped without a map.