Silent! Poem by Namratha Swamy

Taken aback today when my little girl said
I want to grow up and be SILENT, I screamed!

What? Speak up!
I can't hear a word Of what you're saying
Speak up!
and the question seemed to hang in the air
for she had hit the nail on the head!

For some,
Speaking comes so easily.
They just have to open their mouths
and the words come streaming out

But for others
Voice is like a lonely nomad
who rarely ever comes by
trodding miles...
Miles of silent longing
Miles of silent struggling
Miles of silent tears
Miles of silent years

Me? I have known silent travels

Silence of a child when told
not to say how she feels, hush hush....
Silence of emptiness,
more vast than nothing, a mumble....
Silence Of the voices of women unheard
of their woes, a rustle....
The silence of my own voice
of the stories that are locked
in my unspoken words, a poem!