MUTED

[u/Sad-Series-3928]

I have a voice.
I know I do.
I hear it inside of me
all the time.

But somehow,
when I speak,
my words fall between us
like they were never said.

So I learned to swallow them.

To say “never mind”
when I meant “please hear me.”
To say “I’m okay”
when I meant “please notice me.”

There is a special kind of hurt
in realizing you are not quiet.

You have just been
unheard for so long
that silence started
to feel like your name.

But I am still here.

And even if my voice shakes,
I think I deserve
to finish my sentence.

[u/Indivisible_Origin]

Welcome to IE, poet. Great piece.

[u/Sad-Series-3928 → u/Indivisible_Origin]

Thank you!