they told me hush

They told me
Hush
As if silence were a tidy room with no windows

But my breath
Fluttered open
Like a stubborn bird
With a starlit throat
Whoever taught wings to listen

Their hush fell
Heavy as old kingdoms
And still
My voice leapt out
A barefoot thing
Laughing in sound

I sang instead
Because the world keeps forgetting
How loud a single heartbeat can bloom
When no one is looking

And my song
Not quite a shout
Not quite a prayer
Rose crookedly
Rose beautifully

Past their swords
Their crosses
Their crowns
Past every sorry rule
Built to quiet
Wide open souls

And the air
Became a trembling yes
Where all their no had lived

So here I am
Bright, untamed
Shaking the dust from my vowels

They told me hush
I heard a cage

I sang instead