From the Collection – ECLIPSE Stepping Away From The Narcissist’s Shadow
Still Waters is a portrait of the woman who has learned to survive by becoming her own disguise. She carries light for others while drowning in her own unspoken storms. This poem reveals the emotional aftermath of narcissistic conditioning — the way a survivor becomes fluent in masking, in minimising, in performing “fine” so convincingly that even she forgets where the truth begins.
The tragedy here is not her pain, but how deeply she has been trained to hide it. Her stillness is not serenity; it is self‑protection shaped by years of being punished for having needs, feelings, or fractures.
She walks with smiles, as bright as morning skies,
no trace of storm within her tear-filled eyes.
Still waters mask the currents deep below,
where tides of grief and agony still flow.
A cheerful face, a laugh to light the way,
while inside, shadows steal the light of day.
She wears her joy like borrowed, brittle shine,
but underneath, a heart forever split in line.
She stretches out her hand to lift the weak,
while silence wraps the words she cannot speak.
They see her strength, her courage shining through,
yet of her pain they haven’t any clue.
The world believes she’s calm, serene, and still;
deep down, her soul can’t seem to find its will.
Still waters hide the chaos – fierce, untamed –
a woman bruised, who smiles to hide the flame.
Narcissistic Trait Reflection
Emotional Invalidation
Trait Insight:
Emotional invalidation is one of the narcissist’s quietest weapons. It doesn’t always appear as cruelty; sometimes it’s a shrug, a smirk, a dismissive “you’re overreacting.” Over time, the survivor learns that expressing pain leads to minimisation, mockery, or punishment. So she adapts. She becomes the calm one, the strong one, the one who never “makes a fuss.” Her silence becomes armour. Her smile becomes camouflage. And slowly, she forgets that her feelings were ever meant to matter.
Awareness Reminder:
Your emotions are not inconveniences. They are signals, truths, and stories deserving of space. You never needed to shrink yourself to be worthy of care. You are allowed to feel deeply, to speak openly, and to be held gently — even if you once learned to hide every storm behind a practiced smile.
Poetic Reflection:
You taught me quiet was safer than truth,
that tears were trouble, and pain uncouth.
So I learned to smile with a trembling heart,
to hide the chaos tearing me apart.
But stillness isn’t peace — it’s where I froze,
a muted garden where nothing grows.
Journal Prompt
Recall a moment when you hid your true feelings because you feared being dismissed, mocked, or misunderstood.
What emotion were you suppressing?
What reaction were you afraid of?
How did your body feel as you held it all in?
Write a compassionate note to the version of you who stayed silent.
What did she need in that moment?
What truth was she carrying beneath the surface?
How can you honour her now by giving that emotion a voice?
Gently explore this question:
If your feelings had been welcomed instead of invalidated, how might your inner world look today?
Write a letter to that past version of you, not to fix her, but to remind her she was right to feel what she felt.
You may journal in the Comments Section or keep your notes personal, but do take this chance to scribble a tiny bit of your pain away and open a window to healing.
