why do I write?
because when confronted with a question
in a crowd (or small group--it's all the same to me)
I hesitate
as my mental self freezes
in front of the vast array of file cabinets
within my mind as if momentarily forgetting
where a certain letter belongs in the alphabet
(and, of course, it is nearly impossible to find
anything in a mass of file cabinets without
knowing the alphabet)
and so begins rehearsing the letters
but panics when I look out
at the expectant faces
and instead frantically rifles through
the nearest drawer,
realizing only after I mutely shake my head
at the faces
that K is not a neighbor to F,
and it happily approaches the correct drawer,
retrieves the necessary file,
and forms the perfect, most insightful response
lightly upon my tongue
but the conversation has forgotten me and
now buzzes around a new topic quickly growing stale]
This is incredible. I know how this feels, and it's why I always regret not saying something. There's a quote, "It's better to keep your mouth closed and have others think you're stupid, then to open it and remove all doubt." (Rough translation, sorry!) I always say things in my head that come out wrong. At least when I write I get time to form my words into the way I like. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, jo! I've seen that quote before, and it's one I really like (although I can't remember the exact wording just now, either). :)
DeleteWonderfully written ♥
ReplyDeleteThanks, Opal!
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