A soft word written is a loud statement spoken.

Poetry, she has given me a voice. She welcomes my pen with open parchment.

My quiet self is hidden lest her bold words are put to the test.

With only a pause and a moment’s notice, she whispers the words written on paper into my ear,

Giving me courage and strength. My thoughts unwind, and the words pour from my lips.

I become myself, as she holds my hand along the way. She is my savior, and she is my salvation

From the world in which I have no say against with mere utterances. You ask me, what has she

Taught me? It is not so much as to what Poetry taught me, but what she has given me. She has

Given me a voice. She has given me strength. She has given me courage, and she has given me

Words with which to express myself, and the opportunity to communicate feeling. Poetry has

Taught me to assert myself. She has shown me the feelings I hold are key—to freedom and to

Unlocking me.