The Quiet Ones

You’re put into groups of those who are supposed To shut up and keep their heads down. You’re asked to “speak up” when spoken to And when you do without asking They tell you to “quiet down” Make up your fucking mind Others push you around Teachers say deal with it, it’s only a few more years You stand up for yourself: Tell those bullies to leave you alone Or throw a punch to scare them off. They tell you “You’re out of control”, That “This isn’t like you” Well maybe if they weren’t telling you to QUIET DOWN Maybe they would hear your side of it At a time when you want to find your voice When you want to hear a syllable escape your lips Put goose bumps on skin And sends crawls down spines They want you to put your head down And stop talking. Silence isn’t always golden Sometimes its poison It closes the throat Adds to the anxiety And lowers self confidence To the point where the only thing you Hear and say is silence This is my time. My time to be bold My time to shout out to the world “THERE IS A VOICE IN THIS QUIET ONE” That I can tell you I like art and hate math They have been hurting my feelings He makes me feel like a queen My friends are my sisters and brothers And I AM SUCCESSFUL AND POWERFUL BEYOND BELIEF Do your ears hurt? Because I’m just getting started.