I am not good with words. Words on a page are easy, they flow together. I can read them smoothly in my head.

Words coming out of my mouth are so much harder. I can listen to my friends speak so clearly, sing with such precision, even connect syllables with the same endings off the tops of their heads. And all I can do is write.

I can write a poem and write an essay and sound smart, but God forbid I open my mouth.

I stutter so much. I have so much on my mind, on the tip of my tongue just waiting to give my opinion. I definitely have an opinion. I always do, but when I try to express it, it's almost a foreign language.

I could've been a powerful speaker like Martin Luther King Jr. A woman with a knack for speaking in front of thousands, but I'm unable. I can't move people to tears by saying a few words. I can not use my words to influence other people. I can't inspire others with just my voice.

I can only write.

I used to think that this was a bad thing, a terrible downfall on my part. I wished and wished to talk and feel no nervousness.

Writing however, is a marvelous skill to have.

I can use big words with no fear of mispronunciation. I get to use brightly colored pens to describe a good day on a piece of paper. I can sit down and type for hours on end and produce a story full of my experiences.

My words may be on paper but they have the same affect.

As a kid, I read books almost bigger than my head and was taken to amazing places and met amazing people. I didn't need movies. I could make my own, in my head at that. I chose the characters and what they looked like.

I traveled to big cities and imaginary worlds filled with creatures that were nothing but a figment of the author's imagination. I could not drive, but I went to so many different places. My body was on the couch but my brain was somewhere else, completely absorbed in every single word on that one single page I was reading. The author never spoke to me in person, they do not even know I exist, we will never meet, but many others and I feel as if we know them personally.

I may not be a speaker. I can't rhyme. I can't speak in front of thousands with my head held high.

I can write. I can write for days on end. I could write a poem just like Shel Silverstein that kids would remember well into their 80's. I could write a novel that would take a 10 year old on a crazy adventure while sitting alone in a library. I could write a story and maybe change someone in a way I couldn't do while stuttering to no end. My voice may fail me, my cheeks may turn red and leave me looking beyond flustered.

A pen and paper will forever be my companion.

I'm a writer. I'm an artist with a passion for speaking, I'm just speaking on a page.