Unspoken words clog my throat until another question goes unanswered
I choke
and all that comes out is
"I dunno.."
But suppose
My lack of articulation
is not without
causation
He worked so hard to silence me
And now I find
Mangled vocal cords
Make it hard for me
to speak
A voluminous voice
now weak
An outspoken mind
Now meek
So please grant me
Patience
When you receive my "i dunno" response
It has been automated
So many years punished for my words
Chastised for explaining
Scorned for my verbs
That "I dunno" seemed to keep me safe
And in this case
I know I don't need to worry about what I say
But it's harder to reverse
The damage I have found
I have found
Myself looking at the ground
Out of fear as I use to do
And though the situation is new
It's hard to get use to
It's hard to remember
What it meant
To freely speak
Without punishment


Bare with me.. "i dunno" & "nothing".. Im working on it...