At the start, I felt them place the chains upon me.

Decisions, ideas, thoughts they decided for me,

Pushed so hard I believed they were my own,

Yet they were so different from the writing on my heart.

Push, push, push...They filled my head,

Myself blissfully unaware when they locked my shackles with a key I did not possess.

Growing older, I got comfortable in my bonds,

Even liking where they held me down.

It took some time before I even noticed the chains, felt the shackles,

But even then I saw the bonds on others and justified them.

They must just be a fact of life.

Lie, lie, lie...They whispered in my ear.

Time passing, I saw life beyond the chains.

Wanting, hoping, I reached with all my strength for something more.

The chains held me back, by this time too strong to break.

Try, try, try...I could not escape the trap

It was then I felt the weight of the woman.

It was then I knew the pain of the woman.