i can talk about what happened.

a poem about how others can silence you in a way that quiets your reality.

Photo by Tim Bogdanov on Unsplash

there are a lot of parts of me

that i’ve had to bid farewell to

and i remember being expected

to say goodbye with ease.

there was the little girl with a spelling affinity

and i wasn’t allowed to let it hurt — the fact

i lost in the bee.

and there was the au revoir to sports that i said

in high school when i sustained three concussions

and i was shamed out of grieving the

no-more-soccer repercussions.

and i withdrew from college

because it was me no one believed,

all the while the one who orchestrated it

had everyone but me deceived.

i like spending my time alone

because there’s never any rush.

i can talk about what happened

without being told it’s time to hush.

☽