Don't Be Loud and Obnoxious
The world is a stage where we all have a part,
A symphony played from the beat of the heart,
But some choose to blast like a horn in the night,
Ignoring the peace and the soft, morning light.
There’s a lesson to learn in the heat of the crowd:
The soul is not heard just by being too loud.
When you walk through a room with a thunderous stride,
With a voice like a cannon and nowhere to hide,
You think you are vibrant, you think you have flair,
But you’re sucking the oxygen out of the air.
A joke is a treasure, a laugh is a prize,
Until it is screamed to the top of the skies.
Consider the coffee shop, cozy and dim,
Where a student is reading on hope and a whim,
Or the park where a poet is seeking a line,
And the sun through the branches is starting to shine.
Then comes the shouting, the boom of a phone,
Invading a space that was never your own.
To be bold is a virtue, to speak is a right,
But volume is never a measure of might.
The wisest among us have often been still,
With a strength found in silence and power of will.
The obnoxious display is a mask for a fear—
That if you stay quiet, then no one will hear.
But people will listen to words that are true,
They value the kindness reflected in you.
They don’t need the rattle, they don’t need the roar,
They don’t need the slamming of every glass door.
Respect is a currency, spent with a grace,
That leaves a sweet memory all through the place.
If you’re out with your friends and the spirit is high,
Don’t let your excitement eclipse the whole sky.
Be mindful of neighbors, the young and the old,
Whose stories are quiet and yet to be told.
For the clatter of ego is weary and thinned,
Like a handful of dust that is tossed in the wind.
So lower the decibels, soften the tone,
Build up a presence that’s uniquely your own.
Be the calm in the storm, be the light in the dark,
Not the dog in the alleyway destined to bark.
For life is much richer, more deep and more proud,
When you learn to be great without being too loud.
