I have discovered a joy
The ecstatic silence
Mastery of babbling tongue
Self-control

I feel the words, ready to spill
Think the inane thoughts
But they gather on my tongue
Stay behind my lips
A pleasant weight

Suddenly I am wiser
Not bound to chatter
Words I do use
Are words I mean

The silence frees me.

I watch
I listen
I can better relate
To that most alien frontier:
Not-me folk
They view me differently
As furniture, maybe
But surely as someone else

I find new ways to speak
Body language
Signs
Nonverbal message
In all of its forms
Every comprehension a victory
For my new point-of-view

Yet my words
When they come
Shock the unwary
She can speak? they ask
She has will of her own?
And so they listen
More
Than to me the babbler
And I am heard.

I value my voice
But silence increases
Self-control
Self-respect
Self-confidence

My silence frees me.