“Think before you speak”
You tell your impatient 5-year-old,
Who’s fighting to find her place.

“Think before you speak”
You tell your mad scientist 8-year-old,
Who’s fighting to make her own place.

“Think before you speak”
You don’t have to tell your sad 12-year-old,
Who’s place seems as mixed up and hidden from reality as hope.

“Think before you speak”
You might tell your 15-year-old on her way to a protest,
Who’s place in this world is to fight.

Or

“Think before you speak”
You might scold your 15-year-old on trial for violent protests,
Who thought her place in this world was to change everything.

Or

“Think before you speak”
You might croak out at your 15-year-old’s funeral,
Who thought it was too late to find a place,
Too late to be found.