Unsung By Jaime Grookett

Unsung
 
Her words trickle from her tongue like fire
Blaze through the darkness, igniting night
Still air rattles from the heat, bubbles up
spills over the edges of convention
Her honest words have the power to spark
And, with the mere soft fanning of a sigh,
take down ancient forests of rudiments
Destroying the homes of antiquity
Burning, burning, burning, below a bright
sky as blinding as the fire she bore
Let the brazen trees burn in effigy
Crooners, male, of course, no nest to protect
Their haughty songs bellowing through treetops
The sound of freedom as they flee the flames
The fairywren who lays the eggs evolved
Songless, silent, hushed, unwilling to risk
As much as any alluring voice asks
I, too, seek humiliating refuge in silence,
Protecting my own vulnerable nest,
Sacrificing my voice, my truth, my song,
My words singe the corners of convention
Threaten a lush forest of protection
When I sought a listener for my song

Jaime Grookett is an advocate for the disenfranchised, be it women, those suffering from substance use disorder, BIPOC, or neglected children. She teaches Writing at the college level and is pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing. She is currently working on an historical fiction novel as well as a poetry collection. You can find out more about her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JGrookett, Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jaimegrookett/ and https://jaimegrookett.com.