People ask me why I’m so quiet.
Why I’m so shy.
I just look at them
stare right through them
watch as everything fades away around them.
And there they are.
All of them.
All of the people who closed my mouth
and stole my voice.

Look.
Do you see her?
Do you see the girl
who went behind my back
and used her voice to whisper lies?
Look.
Do you see him?
Do you see the boy
who filled his voice
with fake promises of friendship?
Look.
Do you see her?
Do you see the girl
who threw her words at me
with so much force and hate
that they left bruises on my heart?

No.
I know.
You do not see them.
All you see is a quiet girl
a shy girl
who doesn’t know how to speak her mind.
You think I don’t want my voice to be heard.
But how can it be heard when I don’t have one?