Oratory Instinct

We were born
With an unrepressed
Oratory instinct,
A gift for making
Ourselves heard,
And registering
Our complaints,
But we quickly learned
To hold back,
Not to be so adamant
With our demands.
We gradually grew
Timid and shy,
And became
Reluctant to speak out.
The years
Of forced restraint
Nurtured our fear
Of public speaking
Into a formidable
Impediment to our lives.
Sooner or later
The urge to be free
Of the constraints
Of our past,
To be able to speak
And be heard,
Has us confront
Our fear of speaking.
That is often when
We discover
A Toastmaster club
In our neighborhood
That we begin
To master
Our original instinct.