Why?

Because I can walk down the street,
and no one will see me.
Because no matter how loud I scream,
no one will hear.

Because I wake up in the night
bursting to tell my story.
Because I pray so hard
that someone might listen.

Because there is a beating inside me,
not a heart beat, a story.
Because the words are cloudy and jumbled
and I want to make sense of them.

Because unless I write
no one will ever listen.
Because no one will ever
glance in my direction.

Because I am invisible
I have to make something that can be seen.
Because I want people to notice
I want them to understand.

Because when I see the words
I know they're not really what I meant.
Because I know that I can always revise,
or just throw it out and try again.

Because I know that I'm terrible
and I know that I'm great.
Because if I didn't write
I might just fade away.

Without the pen I'm nobody, nothing.
But once I'm on paper I'm somebody, something.