Tag: Shy

To Shrink

~ Vanessa ~ Leave a comment

You worry,
That everyone judges you,
For qualities innate,
For qualities socially constructed,
You worry,
That secretly they hate
What you are,
You worry
And so you shrink
That voice,
Shrink
that smile,
Shrink
that stance,
Shrink
that idea,
Shrink,
Shrink,
Shrink until you can’t find yourself,
So small,
Remember who you are,
Dare to be,
Despite
Dare to grow
Your heart and soul

Beginner

~ Vanessa ~ Leave a comment

Written 2005

Please forgive me
For my inexperience,
My awkward footing,
These shoes are new
–A little too big,
Though they looked
Like they would fit,
I will grow into them
If you give me time,
I know the right footwork
I have seen it before,
Just never danced
a tango for two
And of course,
Like I mentioned
–the shoes

Trust me,
I am not always this shy
That is just a part
Of my inexperience
That we will need to get by

Sometimes I am too bold
Forgive me for this
–Out of the loop
For far too long,
Sorry,
If I come on too strong
I will get the hang
If you just take the lead
Sorry, again,
If I forget to breathe

And sorry for all of my apologies
Please,
Just don’t let me dive in too deep

Mute

~ Vanessa ~ Leave a comment

May 17, 2006

If only my voice
Were as bold as my words
If only my words
Were as bold as my ink
If only I could go through life
With a pen in my hand
Maybe then
I wouldn’t be
So far behind
Maybe then you would understand

I’m not as brash
As my words on paper
I’m not as timid
As my unuttered syllables

It is here
On the blank
Of the page
That I can play my role
Here I can express
Everything at once
On center stage

Yet on my oneway telephone
I am always alone
I can make my declaration
To faces unknown
Feel a sense of pride
But nobody knows

Maybe I’ll solve world hunger
In a single proverb
Profess true love
In a sonnet
But it does not really matter
If no one else saw it

My words may be
Immortalized
For only my own eyes to see
Years later
Be the humiliation
Of noone else
But me

Bittersweet and yet
These are my words
Born of my heart’s womb
My private language
For the linguistically mute.