You mean I can be quiet without an excuse?
You mean I can be quiet
without an excuse?
I don’t have to fill silence
with words glib and loose
so that others won’t think
I don’t like them or that
I’m unfriendly, depressed,
distracted, or mad?
I’ve been so long so busy
with what they might see
that in crafting my image,
I forgot to be me.
And the real me likes quiet
and space in between
my own mind and others’—
like an opaque screen
behind which I can listen,
choose words with care,
stay in touch with myself,
and just be aware.
– written 2020
