Freedom Poem by Maya Reid

Home was a cage They put me in
Limitations and expectations surrounding me
Holding me still
Their seemingly impossible rules trapped me
Even when I limited myself accordingly
And met Their every outrageous demand
A test tube baby, that was me
They locked me up and threw away the key
My only desire was to be free
So, in an act of defiance, I conformed to Their final desire
I shattered Their expectations
Breaking the bars that bound me
And I was free
I was here, in the place of Their (now my) dreams
I was here, and I was free
I had room to stretch, room to grow
No one to answer to and everywhere to go
So I stretched and grew and went
I expanded into a viable woman in this world
I had so much space, so I just kept growing
Until I bumped my head
What was this?
A wall?
Well, nothing to fear, there must be a new direction
I turned around and stretched and grew
And hit another wall
Then another
And another
Can this be?
I was a slave my whole life
To trade my cage for…a box?
A slightly bigger box, but a prison still?
Why do these chains still bind me?
Can I never leave?
Shall I never be free?
Free from Them?
Free from…me?