Yell

Sometimes
I wonder
Why I don’t yell
To be heard

Why yelling

Even when called for
Has never
Come naturally
To me

Maybe because

The times
I most
Want to yell
Are the times
I need my world
Most quiet

Maybe because

In the quiet
I hear me

Maybe because

When I yell
Others hear me fine
But I don’t hear me
At all

Maybe because

When I yell
I drown out
My own voice

Miss

Important things
I need
To tell myself

Miss hearing

My own pain
Honoring what’s been damaged
Discerning next steps

Miss so much

Because I’m giving
My voice
To someone else
Who has taken
So much
Already