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POEM “proud to stutter” i’m proud to stutter it wasn’t always this way. stuttering was a consistent and major source of shame for most of my life. i hated it and went to great lengths to hide it. i often felt broken and alone, not belonging in a world where communication seemed so effortless for everyone but myself i felt trapped spending much of my days figuring ways to avoid showing stuttering: skipping school or class on days i was scheduled to present; faking a bloody nose to avoid reading aloud; deciding whether or not to do things or go places based on risk associated with stuttering; avoiding eye contact and close proximity with new people so i wouldn’t need to introduce myself, because saying my name was always hard; introducing myself using a name that wasn’t mine; etc. limiting thoughts consumed me: “no one will hire me” “i’ll have to live with my parents forever” “i’ll never have a girlfriend or kids” “how will i ever schedule my own doctor appointments?” etc. now i know the reason i felt so much shame is because we live in a world that values conformity over individuality, normal over special, silence over self-expression, obedience over rebellion now i know it wasn’t my fault now i know i am not at all broken — that i become more whole the more i discover and embrace my true self, especially parts of me the world tells me i should suppress now i know it’s okay to stutter now i’m proud to stutter — follow @stutterproudly on instagram for creative stuttering-related content