"Why don't you talk?"
I smile and shrug
"I don't know"
But I do
It's not something I can explain to just anybody
The anxiety that crawls up my back and breathes down my neck
The flaring of my cheeks and my speedy heartbeat when anybody speaks to me

"She doesn't talk."
They say to anybody who doesn't "understand"
But I do
I think but I don't say
For fear that my tiny words won't be heard by their fleeting ears
or maybe my voice will crack in some unflattering way

I'm afraid that everyone I care for
will leave
bored by my silence
or impatient with my lack of words
I'm trying
honestly
To find the courage to let words fly
To let them carelessly flow out
and caress whoever dares to listen
But they all know me as
"The girl who doesn't talk"
That's all they focus on
"I'll get you to talk!"
"We'll be friends!"
But those people don't ******* care

I love when someone speaks
without expecting me to say anything
but they ask my opinion
and ignore the fact that my mouth is closed and notice my smile
That's when I open up
That's when I'm finally comfortable
When they don't see me as "the quiet girl"
They treat me like I'm normal
not someone they have to "fix"
Because I am not a broken toy