My Word "Voiceness"

a voice of one’s own. What does that mean to me? To me it is a statement of truth. We all have a voice of our own, and that voice is one of the most beautiful things we have. It is your way of saying your thoughts, voicing your opinions, telling people what you truly believe in, and it is a way of standing up for yourself, for a cause, against injustice. But most of all it is a way of sharing, and helping, because spoken words are powerful and when heard, they can light up people’s hearts so greatly that they feel love. Voice is a way to spread love. And when I hear that word voiceless, I start to cry, because when I envision someone who is not able to share their feelings and who has their voice taken away because of injustice, stigma, violence, and hate, I find myself not being able to sleep. Everyone has a voice, and I hope that people can find the heart to break the silence about issues like sexual assault, depression, homelessness, mental illness, and countless other things that matter. Because if one person speaks, it opens a bridge to allow others to see that it is ok to use their voice they may never have known they had. And people will see voiceless as the false word it is.

A couple weeks ago, a very dear friend of mine was talking about what she would do if fear didn’t exist. I realized that I had many things I would do if fear didn’t exist. I would help more people, love and live more fully, and I would speak out about my own struggles to allow others to see they have a beautiful voice that can touch others’ lives. If I had no fear, I would say how I feel. I would tell strangers I meet they have a voice, and that I love them for it, for being a human being. I would announce, “I love the world.”

“I am a beautiful singer, aren’t we all.”
-Bob Hicok

“Voiceness”

If I had it in me, I would do—
Organize my life and my work
Into something of vivid color
For the world to witness and to
Explore and love and do with
Me.

If I had it in me, I would write—
Put the words on the page
That mean so much to so many.
For them to read so that it may
Open their hearts and minds and
Mouths to be alone in this world
No more, and obtain this contagiousness
I call creativeness and voiceness to
Explore and love and write with
Me.

If I had it in me I would walk,
For you and me and the world
I would walk.
And not be afraid of coming up
Short, or the look in your eyes.
For then we could
Explore and love and walk
Together

If I had it in me I would speak,
To spread the domino effect of
Voices with thoughts people need to
Hear. To take god’s mighty eraser to
That frightful word voiceless and
Create a new vibrant speech that I give to all
so we may, in time,
Explore and love and speak
Together.

And if I had it in me I would live and I would love.
Thoroughly, wholly, brilliantly. So that
You will no longer see the man afraid of
Doing what his heart says, and
Writing down his heart’s thoughts, and
Walking with all his heart, and
Speaking straight from his heart,
But a man who can live and love and
Explore with the entire world.

-Starfish