speak

• laurie halse anderson, kitabın 2011 yılına ait baskısına, aradan geçen 12 yıl içinde kendisine ulaşan binlerce e-mail ve okur mektubundan derleyerek yazdığı, insanın boğazına düğümlenen aşağıdaki şiirini eklemiştir.
  
  listen
  
  you write to us
  from houston, brooklyn, peoria, rye, ny,
  la, dc, everyanywhere usa to my mailbox, my
  space face
  book
  a livejournal of bffs whispering
  me.
  
  you:
  i was raped, too
  sexually assaulted in seventh grade,
  tenth grade, the summer after graduation,
  at a party
  i was 16
  i was 14
  i was 5 and he did it for three years
  i loved him
  i didn't even know him.
  he was my best friend's brother,
  my grandfather, father, mommy's boyfriend,
  my date
  my cousin
  my coach
  i met him for the first time that night and-
  four guys took turns, and-
  i'm a boy and this happened to me, and-
  
  ... i got pregnant i gave up my daughter for adoption...
  did it happen to you, too?
  u 2?
  
  you:
  i wasn't raped, but
  my dad drinks, but
  i hate talking, but
  my brother was shot, but
  i am outcast, but
  my parents split up, but
  i am clanless, but
  we lost our house, but
  i have secrets-seven years of secrets
  and i cut
  myself my friends cut
  we all cut cut cut
  to let out the pain
  
  ...my 5-year-old cousin was raped-he's beginning to act out
  now...
  do you have suicidal thoughts?
  do you want to kill him?
  
  you:
  melinda is a lot like this girl i know
  no she's a lot like
  (me)
  i m melindasarah
  i am melindarogelio i am melindamegan,
  melindaambermelindastephentoriphillipnavdiatiara-
  mateokristinabeth
  it keeps hurting, but
  but
  but
  but
  this book cracked my shell
  it keeps hurting i hurt, but
  but your book cracked my shell.
  
  you:
  i cried when i read it.
  i laughed when i read it
  is that dumb?
  i sat with the girl-
  you know, that girl-
  i sat with her because nobody sits with her at lunch
  and i'm a cheerleader, so there.
  speak changed my life
  cracked my shell
  made me think
  about parties
  gave me
  wings this book
  opened my mouth
  i whispered, cried
  rolled up my sleeves i
  hate talking but
  i am trying.
  
  you made me remember who i am.
  thanks.
  
  p.s. our class is gonna analyze this thing to death.
  
  me:
  me:
  me: weeping