Standing Up

Dear Quiet Ones,

In your shell

You watch and wait

You listen and you learn

You see the world

Through abstract lenses,

Respect is what you earn.

Some do wonder who you are,

They question your complacency,

They puzzle over your true thoughts

Some without a sense of decency.

And in those moments 

When you're called upon to share your insights

The moment stuns you, shocks you,

Leaves you longing just for flight.

But then the wisdom deep inside you,

Suppressed for fear of rejection,

Surfaces, if for a moment,

Gives you strength for true projection.

Projection of your knowledge, learnings, insights,

And your wisdom.

Wisdom that you gained from

Observation of the world.