I Am a Woman Finding My Voice

Painting: Susan Seddon Boulet

I Am a Woman Finding My Voice

Did I first lose my voice when I learned not to cry too loud or make too much noise so I didn't wake up Daddy? Or was it when I learned that talking in church was a sin (unless it was to a priest)? Was it the first time I didn't say what was inside of me because I didn't want to make someone mad, or was it the first time that I said what wasn't true because I didn't want to hurt someone's feelings? No matter now. Now, I am finding my voice! I am laughing, screaming, crying, and cooing! I am making delighted sounds and angry sounds. I growl and moan, and I sing and chant! I offer soft and sweet words of comfort and passion and I speak loud, clear words of outrage and opposition. I am making holy noise and I am keeping holy, holy silence. Finding my voice means that I claim my freedom to express myself. It means that I speak only what is true for me, and that I will never be silenced again. I am a woman finding my voice! 

- Janet Quinn, excerpted from I Am a Woman Finding My Voice