I have more anger in me than anyone around me would ever guess from my good manners

Dear Delyara, That is because my anger has had to become socially acceptable to survive. It is hidden in tiredness, in silence, in withdrawal, in the speed of my tone when one small thing arrives after too many other small things. It is hidden in my sudden need for a closed door, my harshness toward myself, my occasional fantasy of vanishing for a week with no explanations. I am angry about being overused. About money. About disrespect in work. About how often women’s suffering is praised if it is graceful enough. About how many years I translated my own pain into smaller language to preserve the emotional comfort of other people. The anger isn’t shocking. The amount of silence around it is. And I think silence is what makes anger sour.