Underneath It All - By: Rebekah Enebeli

They grow in houses too loud

like a glass pressed against thunder,

waiting to shatter but holding an eerie storm inside.

They learn silence like it’s a secret, folding in on themselves,

like paper cranes afraid of the slightest breath.

Hands that should reach out,

hold up walls instead—

fragile, cracked,

carrying weight no one notices.

The glass child is not perfect,

dim like a fading star,

burning low but steady,

casting light no one dares ask for.

They carry storms stitched beneath their ribs,

bleeding quiet cracks

that run deeper than polished skin.

They apologize for every drop of rain

that falls inside their chest,

for every tremor in their hands,

for needing anything at all.

They are the shadows behind windows,

reflections never reflected on,

invisible until the glass breaks—

then suddenly too much to hold.

But when the glass finally shatters,

it doesn’t break quietly.

It trembles, shaking like a body caught in the storm,

splintering inside, cracking apart,

a thousand sharp edges digging deep,

breath stolen, heart hammered,

a body trembling with things no one sees,

like a whisper turned scream,

and still, no one comes to catch the pieces.

Please give a detailed explanation about the meaning and main idea of this poem.

I wrote this poem to express what it feels like to carry emotions quietly, to move through the world with a softness that people mistake for strength. The "glass child" is about the version of me that learned to stay calm, stay composed, and stay small even when I was overwhelmed. It's about the pressure to be okay, the fear of taking up space, and the way hidden emotions can build into something far worse than you could imagine. This poem is my way of giving a voice to the quiet breaking that happens inside people who may seem fine on the outside.

Please explain your writing and thought process regarding this poem.

When I wrote this, I started with one image. glass. I let it guide everything. I wanted the poem to feel delicate and sharp at the same time, so I leaned into metaphors that were rich and heavy. I wrote from emotion first, letting the images come naturally, and I shaped the poem around the feeling of holding too much inside. I didn't try to make it perfect. I tried to make it honest instead of forcing the structure. I kept rewriting until the poem felt like it was breathing on its own.

Why did you choose to write this poem?

I chose to write this because I wanted to focus on the quiet struggle that I know a lot of people experience but rarely talk about. It's not about blaming anyone, but its about acknowledging the weight of being gentle in a world that can be too loud. I wrote it to understand myself better, to put words into feelings that usually stay unspoken, and to remind anyone who reads it that being fragile or sensitive doesn't make you weak. It makes you human.

Do you have any tips or anything to share with the youth writers who may be reading this?

If you're a writer reading this, the best advice I can give is to write from a place that feels honest. Do not worry about sounding poetic. Worry about sounding true. Trust your instincts and let the poem breathe. I'd say the most powerful writing comes from the parts of yourself you usually keep quiet.