I Heard A Rumor My Voice Counted
by HaliJo Webster

Out of the silence
I fist my way through
the sawdust in my throat
and my first words are,
"sorry for my exsistence".

Out of the silence
my voice begins
to quiver with excitement
for I heard a rumor
my voice counted
and I added self esteem
to my language and art.

Out of the silence
I sang, recited, and shared
in suspicious denial
that someone is bonafidably
listening, processing and
accepting my linguistic rhythm.

Out of the silence
seduction and intuition edges me
one marker farther to a canyon, a secret garden,
a foundation of seasoned morsels of other Women's
tonalities who heard the same grapevine
that there voices were accountable.

Out of the silence.
Wisdom and reality have
identified my native spirit,
igniting my feminine inheritance
and my accent becomes angry.

Out of the silence
I shout and scream
facts about white male societal barriers
and have earned a place,
in the secret garden
where other Women's voices are purged
but,
my voice feels weak
and muffled once again.

We are all chanting the same cries
in this battle field.
Out of the silence
my voice arrives
now what?
Out of the silence
I fight
I survive
I live
I die
I awake
I arrive
I am seduced
I am encouraged
I speak out
I am silenced...
now
I resist quieter, with more impact
just knowing my voice counts
IS the healing change in action.
Out from the battle fields
are the chants of
the reality
that equality
does not exsist
YET!

Movers, quakers, no mistakers, feminine god praisers,
elevators, passion flavors, orientators,
non-male-system flag-wavers.

Out of the silence
I walk on.
Hallelujia
Hallelujia
Hallelujia!

© HaliJo Webster, Feb 2007