12 February 2013
Confidence always alludes me, See confidence is key. Charisma, so I'm told these days Is the link to opportunity. In economy buying and selling Is due to, so people profess, The knowledge and charm of the vendors Whose smiles alone seem to impress. As a child I was always a shy one Who liked more to be on my own, I had friends but I couldn't be with them Every hour of the day in their zone. My clam-like ways brought me jeering I was an odd, silent tomboy, you see, Not really a girl so the boys said, No sweet giggler as girls should be. Once we introverts held the glory; Learnéd men like Gandhi and Abe With his great busy beard and his vaguely shy ways America he salvaged and saved. See, introverts are ponderers We sit in our own world and think, In our tight little minds we find peace and time To nurture ideas lest they sink. I'm not trashing extroverts exactly You guys are a wonderful bunch And without you to sparkle and fizzle The silence would be far too much, But we innies are really born leaders As hard as that is to believe, We take calculated steps to success Though speeches cause sighs to be heaved. Our Charlie Chaplin nature Lets others' thoughts to thrive So creativity's not battered down By our own ideas keen to survive. Even now I tend to be quiet And pensive, not socially adept But I haven't done that bad so far To a standard I hope can be kept. So quash not our introvert values, Our systems, our wee ways of life Charisma's not all to be glorified But the Thinker, quiet and bright.
Inspired by Susan Cain's talk 'The Power of Introverts' 2012 TED conference
The Thinker • Opuss № I