Moments for clarification and resilient silence Lost in momentary darkness left behind by the gray streaks in your hair Every sound a quick startle Every voice stiffens the mind They see it as a trauma response We see it as what kept us alive Our nervous system chose freeze other than flight We don’t fight and we don’t fawn We watch as our veins turn to ice and we are unable to move You stare and wait for responses I cannot give The rage induces and the anxiety increases The alcohol flows and the paranoia sets in Who are you you may ask For I am Azrael The shadow left behind by a good kid Who was left misunderstood