Have you heard of a short poem about the Wise Old Owl? I just read about it recently and it goes like:

A wise old owl sat in an oak;
The more he saw the less he spoke;
The less he spoke the more he heard;
Why can’t we all be like that wise old bird?

This made me think of the days that I decide that I go quiet. On those days, I wouldn’t talk much and I get my work done way more quickly at school. At home I just want to be in my room reading or being on the computer. Sometimes I just lie down on my bed and listen to the radio. By the end of the day I am tired of not talking and I fall asleep right away.

I also thought of how the less he spoke the more he heard. I am sure he heard a lot that wasn’t needed … and made me think of times my parents speak and speak on small issues. I also wondered if he had nothing to say. But then I remember, sometimes I just stand in my room looking outside the window. This is the time I see cars passing, people going to the park, hearing many things from my radio, and even my brother and parents talking. When one speaks a lot, they do not hear others talking. When I take a pause and do not speak, I get to listen and learn a lot of things. The more I am quiet the more I can study in peace and makes me understand well and do well in school.

It also made me imagine being the old wise bird (maybe a young wise bird). I wouldn’t speak that much and I would not talk back to my parents (how my mom hollers when we talk back to her … and how she also screams when she talks to us and we do not answer anything … I wonder what she likes now). If I listen and hear what they want me to do, I am sure the hollering and screaming will not be there as I will be able to do things that my parents tell me to do correctly.

I could not stop thinking of what will happen if my parents were to be like the wise old bird. I could not see my mom surviving being one even for a minute … maybe when she is at work. I could see my dad for a short while … maybe when my mom is not around the house or sleeping. I think kids can survive being like this old bird even though we are young. I do not see any parent being quiet.

I wonder why…..

Angela-Acaye