OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABESI shut my mouth,

Because nobody cared what a kid had to say.

My thoughts were not legitimate,

And my was mind too premature,

To handle the real world.

So I shut my mouth,

Because it was a convenience to the adults,

who were allowed to speak because they had the sense.

So I listened, the most powerful thing,

And built up my kingdom of thoughts.

Then this God given gift began to blossom,

And when opened my mouth,

Flowers poured out,

In the exact way I had imagined them to.

I opened my mouth,

Because I needed, we needed, to be heard.

I began to scream at injustice,

And show the world I had wisdom worth hearing.

I opened my mouth,

Because I have powers, abilities,

To speak out freely, to stand up for myself,

And for my kind, ones who have yet to blossom,

Like I have.

I opened my mouth and never closed it.

Katy Calderwood, 12

Aaliyah Boughton, 11