Quiet Strength

I'm not the life of the party
I do not burst into rooms
with stories ready,
laughs rehearsed,
arms wide.

I enter quietly,
but I am present.
I may not speak often,
but when I do,
I mean every word.

The world seems to favor noise-
the quick reply,
the confident handshake,
the constant motion.
But, I move differently.
Intentionally.
Gently.

I draw strength from stillness,
from time spent alone
where my thoughts are allowed to stretch,
where I can breathe without explanation.

Solitude is not loneliness.
It is where I meet myself most honestly.

And when I return -
to conversation, to connection -
I return whole.
Recharged.
Grounded.

I am not less than
because I choose not to shout.
There is power
in the quiet.