I write and I speak so I can inspire

my ways of thinking

and my ways of living

are all complex and difficult to talk about

I am a human being and I want to be heard

not for me, but for you

for the undocumented immigrant that is still in the shadows

because he or she is scared to get deported

for the depressed student in school

who is afraid of what her or his future holds

for the family member who wants to help, but cant

because one cannot afford mom’s medical bills

for the unemployed who is frustrated about money

because they don’t know when, or from where, the next pay check is going to come from

for the person who has been to jail and is now conflicted about who he or she is in this world

because now they have a criminal record that will follow them for the rest of their life 

I want everyone to hear me 

I want everyone to hear me and stop saying how i am the quiet girl

I am not quiet

I am only silence by all this agony and life experiences that you cannot understand

and I am not going to explain why I am quiet

I am not going to explain who I am because I need your acceptance or sympathy

I have a lot of people who already feel sorry for me

So I do not need one more

But every time I am invited on stage to speak

In front of a small or big crowd

in front of media

or to speak to a reporter 

I will stand on stage, in front of the microphone, behind the podium

and be heard

to be heard for my community

and to be heard because I know I am not alone

I am sure if I sit down and explain my story,

you will understand why I am quiet

But I am not going to talk to please you

I am not going to talk so I can be the normal girl everyone wants me to be

I am going to talk to inspire and keep fighting for everyone

Because all the injustices that I have lived through

Are insane!

This system is only here to separate us

to make us fight each other

and I am not going to let them.

I am going to speak when I want to

Because when I do, it is amazing

Not because I am being prideful

But because I am worthy

I am worthy and I am confident

I survived this life and I am here to talk 

And I know who to talk to 

and I know when I need to talk

so when I am with a group of friends and I am the quiet girl there

I am quiet for a reason

because of my lovely life

that is full of crap that makes me be quiet

because if I speak, I will only complain

complain about this life and how we all need a new one

and I sound like a broken record sometimes…

This is why I am quiet

But when I speak, 

I want you to listen

I am simple and sweet

I am not always great with words or speeches,

I don’t always plan or prepare what I want to say

but I am great at showing how passionate I am about life

how passionate I am about you

because you are awesome, 

because you are worthy

and because if you took the time to listen now,

it means that you are here to listen to the quiet girl

and I really appreciate that

Thank you!

I love you and you are amazing

and I hope I have inspired you

in some way or another

or at least made your day better

because I want to be heard by you.