The Day of Silence is a "national youth-run effort using silence to protest the actual silencing of LGBT people due to harassment, bias and abuse in schools." (DOS website)

The Day of Silence

For me was relaxing, almost

Soothing like the rhythmic current

But it was loud like hurricanes.

It was an excuse for many things –

Not to answer questions,

Not to laugh or smile.

People looked at me

With changed perspective.

I believe in what I believe in,

And on that day the tape on my mouth

Screamed them to the world.

I felt a sense of power, a sense of

Boldness and guiltlessness.

Finally I was unafraid to show myself.

I wore my tape like a medal, a flag

Not a label, nor a clique.

And I enjoyed not being able to speak.

The silence I withstood was beautiful.

No one laughed at me for something stupid,

Frowned on me for something mean,

Corrected me for something wrong.

If I cannot speak, I cannot speak evil.

The handicap was a gift.

When you are silent you can hear things,

You are not ignorant, because

What else can you do but to hear?

And touch, smell, taste?

Speaking dominates feelings,

And on that day I got them back.

By not speaking I realized that,

I never really had to speak anyways.

It was okay to hold in words without

Meaning and thought.

I would rather tell them in other ways.

On that day I hugged more people

Than I have ever hugged this year.

Just to say thank you, or nice to see you, or

Goodbye.

It is easy to be silent,

And it takes so little to be bold.

When that tape finally came off,

We all screamed like wolves howled.