I looked at the old photos
Pasted on the cardboard.
The cardboard showed me how it was,
When a boy went hiking,
Together with his parents,
and a cousin.

His face is smiling sweetly,
But not his eyes.
They called him shy.
They said he was fine.
No one asked why the words
never left his mouth.
Not even once.

He stood still,
He struggled to speak.
He wanted someone to hear.
But no one did. They never do.
They said, "he's just quiet."

Now the picture hangs,
For nearly as many years as that boy lived.
I stare back at the boy,
Still waiting like he always did,
His entire life.

Nothing changed,
He never thought it would.
As life dictates,
So it would.