As I child I would speak

No one could hear me

Was I talking to loud?

Or were their thoughts preoccupied?

The day I discovered the power of ink

Was the day I discovered the power within me

Suddenly words tumbled out and someone could hear

I was no longer silenced by others I feared

Painful regret and shame came to surface

Desire and longing and joy were my witness

You ask me why I write and I’ll ask you one too

If no one would listen, what else would you do?