Poetry
1 min
Silence
Vivian Lai
I remember the good ol' days
When I was an open book
I miss how easy it was
To trust my friends with every emotion
Every thought that crossed my mind
I didn't care
If they found me annoying or not
I would share
I would tell them everything
Without a single doubt
They would protect my secrets
As I did theirs
How naive I was
How carefree
I wasn't aware of the possibility
Someone could hurt me so badly
I learned my lesson the hard way
As most lessons are learned
The little girl who'd never known pain
Retreated into a protective shell
Her lips, who'd once harbored an innocent smile
Closed forever
Scared that even the slightest word she uttered
Would be used against her
As time went by
The little girl grew up
Matured
Yet not another sound escaped her lips
She was determined not to let her words
be her downfall again
As time goes by
I sit and wait
Wondering if the day will ever come
When I finally speak again
Instead of living
In silence
This poem was written by a Bay Area local for the San Jose Public Library Short Edition collection.
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