Why am I so quiet?
Do you really want to know?
I have several reasons
For keeping my mouth shut
Why am I so quiet?
Because I was told over and over
As a child
That children should be seen
And not heard
Why am I so quiet?
Because it is written
In the Bible
That women must remain silent
In the church
Why am I so quiet?
Because I’m afraid
If I open my mouth to talk
I may say something really stupid
Why am I so quiet?
Because I’m afraid if I open my mouth
I might reveal
Something someone told me
In secret
Why am I so quiet?
Because I heard it has been said
That the tongue cannot be tamed
It spews out poison
Bringing its owner to shame
So the best thing for me
Is to zip my lips shut
And throw away the key
To prevent myself
From offending anyone
With my wild, uncontrollable tongue.
I was always a quiet child when growing up. Some people will say that I am still very quiet today. What inspired me to write this poem is the number of times I have opened my mouth to speak and I usually tend to say something that starts an argument or I say something that other people think is stupid.
There were also a couple of Bible quotes that I found which I referred to in this poem. For example, the verse, “Because it is written / In the Bible / That women must remain silent / In the church,” refers to the following Bible verse: “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church” (1 Corinthians 14:34-35, NIV).
I also mentioned in the poem, “Why am I so quiet? Because I heard that it has been said / That the tongue cannot be tamed / It spews out poison / Bringing its owner to shame.” This part of the poem refers to the Bible verse: “but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8, NIV).
Sometimes it is better to be quiet than to open my mouth and say something foolish. It says so in the following Bible verse: “The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent and discerning if they hold their tongues.” (Proverbs 17:27-28, NIV).
So the next time you feel the urge to speak, think first and make sure that whatever it is you are going to say will be something that is friendly, helpful, and encouraging, not something that will offend others.
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