When I speak in a silent room
I feel two inches tall;
My hands want to clench closed;
Words are forced past my lips
As they are trying to be
Gulped down by my nervous throat,
'Cause all eyes are on me--
Scrutinizing, criticizing, judging.
The half-word that escaped me
Was swallowed into
My swirling stomach.
They caught that.
The quick glance I made to others,
Hoping to find
A familiar face.
They saw that.
The heat rushing to my forehead and neck,
Causing sweat to rise
To the surface.
They know that
Scrutinizing, criticizing, judging,
With all eyes on me
Clogs my esophagus with saliva;
Along with some verbal diarrhea
Induced from opening my mouth.
My nails dig into the palms of my fist
And I can be crushed by words or a bottle of water
When I speak in a silent room.
YOU ARE READING
I Am Everything
PoetryExcerpt: "I am everything: The autumn winds easing the leaves away from their branches, A baby's smile at daddy's funny face, The tears that seep into the soil at a funeral, A heavy snowfall on Christmas Eve. I am a hug: Offered only during t...
