My Voice

My voice is small

Small like the pieces of lint you pick off your shirt and throw on the ground

My voice is quiet

Quiet like the soft sound of footprints you block when you put headphones in

My voice is unsteady

Like a slowing heart rate that only peaks rarely and irregularly 

My voice is 

Not the type to go against the grain

Not the type to step on toes

Not the type to interrupt

Even if other voices walk all over me

Even if other voices scratch and kick me

Even if other voices mute me

My voice remains small, quiet, and unsteady

Even when other voices are big, loud, and steady

Your voice

Your voice wasn’t big, loud, and steady

Your voice wasn’t small, quiet, and unsteady

Your voice was confident

Confident like a model walking down a runway in the most bizarre outfit 

Your voice was firm

Firm like a hug that you wish lasted a little longer

Your voice was effortless

Effortless like a gymnast flipping on a 4-inch piece of wood

Your confident, firm, effortless voice

Made my voice a little less small

A little less quiet

A little less unsteady

My voice is 

Not the type to go against the grain

Not the type to step on toes

Not the type to interrupt

But if other voices

Walk all over me

Scratch and kick me

Mute me

My voice is

The type to speak up with confidence

The type to firmly discredit your harsh remarks

The type to effortlessly prove you wrong