She was trapped in her gloom

In a life she didn’t choose

For your safety they said

For your future

What is life without hard work and sacrifice?

 

Every night

She closed her eyes

But opened her mind

 

She felt her arms transform into wings

Blue feathers sprouting from the pores of her skin

She felt her body get smaller and smaller

Her legs receding beneath her

She was at the windowsill

Claws clutching the edge

And looked out the window

At the vast expense of the night sky

And felt a tug in her gut

A longing for what could be

She spread her blue wings

And leaped

 

The air cushioned her fall

Ruffling her feathers

Her joy was unimaginable

Her beauty undiminished

Surfing with the waves of the wind

She maneuvered toward the places she has never been

Knowing that she could never bring herself to come back

 

Back to the life where her decisions were not her own

Where mistakes are not condoned

Where life is a burden

Back to where everything is planned

Education, education, education

A tiring and constant routine

Back to where her focus is always on what she needs

And her happiness is never guaranteed

Back to where she works for tomorrow

And suffers today

To where everyday is another weight of stress and unhappiness

On her shoulders

Keeping her from rising to her full potential

 

So she left every night

In her mind she was free

She can go where she pleased

She was independent and weightless

And she never wanted to come back

 

For the taste of freedom was much too sweet

The adrenaline was like a drug

She was addicted but never sorry

 

Those closest to her could never understand

Her heart’s most desperate demand

To soar as high as the clouds

To reach for the sky

To be as free as a bird