Quiet, loud, trapped, and proud 

Quiet, loud, trapped, and proud

Quiet, quiet as a mouse, constantly being

 asked to speak up and repeat

Repeat that stinging feeling of defeat

Loud, yearning to be loud, although the air

 has been stolen from my lungs and the words stolen from the tip of my tongue by anxious thoughts and nerves as others speak with ease

befriending others left and right as they please 

But please, please let me out of this cage that I’ve been trapped in

I beg as my anxiety taunts me, dangling the key in front of my face

How is it so close yet so far out of reach, reach, please teach me how

to be proud, proud of my voice in loving memory of all the words that have gone unspoken, as they now float in nothingness, 

proud of my opinions, proud of my interests, proud of myself 

Quiet, quiet as a mouse

Loud, yearning to be loud

Trapped, trapped in a cage

Proud, proud of myself

Quiet, loud, trapped and proud

© PK 2024

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