Words
Nudging, insisting
Struggle to escape
Perching on the tip of my tongue

A rising wall
Blocks phrases, words,
thoughts, ideas
Trapped inside my head
In a maze from brain to lips, lost

Whispers
Echo in my head
Silence as lips freeze

Queries
Fill my head
Too many questions,
suppressing the words
Will they sound out loud
the same as they do in my head?
What will people think?
Will anyone listen?
Too afraid to release
my thoughts to the outside
Too afraid to let them out,
to expose them to scrutiny
It’s safer to keep them in
Others speak, mellifluous
words flowing around
While I sit, silent

The conversation ferries past
The words settle back down
To await patiently the next time I have something to say
While I sit, silent
As always