You said, “I want to be free again”.
And I saw the plea in your eyes
and then the realisation that you
said too much, glancing with a
half smile, a woman with a strong
mind that wants to run but has a rope
of culture around her neck that soon
enough will pull her in with duty and the
life she does not choose or want to live.

There were sparks in your eyes from
expansive talk of plans and dreams beyond
confinement, and I felt your energy
and desire burning out from your smile
but tinged with the futility that comes to
rob you of your full smile and put you back
tethered in this ordered place where some think
you most certainly should and must belong,

 

6/11/2022