Lock & Key

She could cry you a river,
if she allowed the tears to flow,
but she knew once they began
they’d flood her world, with their sorrow.
So, she holds the hurt inside,
safe and personal,
unwilling to share, unable to care.
She can feel it wanting to escape,
bubbling at the surface, 
trying to suffocate.
She knows one day she’ll set it free,
allow herself to recover fully,
but for now, she keeps it
under lock and key,
preferring the pain, to 
feeling empty.