Survival Mode

She stands before the switch, her hand extended,

A frozen moment in time, her mind suspended.

She longs to turn it off, to be free and unafraid,

But the past holds her captive, its memory ingrained.

Her survival mode is on, always at the ready,

For history has shown that danger comes unsteady.

She wants to be normal, to live without fear,

But the switch is a constant reminder, always near.

She backs away, the fear too much to bear,

And wonders if she'll ever be free, if she'll ever dare.

For now, she remains in survival mode,

A shield against the past, a way to cope and hold.

But she knows deep down, that one day she'll be strong,

And turn off the switch, and right the past's wrongs.