I grew up holding keys not mine,
open doors… but I stayed inside.
Tired hands, a childhood gone,
playing mother before I was one.
Plates not mine, names that weigh,
my voice silent while others stayed.
I was the shadow, I was the hands,
doing all they wouldn’t stand.
Now that I let go… they pull me back,
say I’ve changed, say I lack.
But no…
it wasn’t love, it was a cage,
silent nights, a borrowed age.
It wasn’t home, it was a role,
I was never in control.
And if I leave…
they say someone changed me,
but I’m just finally free.
Late, broken… but still me.
They blame the wind that touches my skin,
blame the world I’m walking in.
But the cage was always there,
I just learned to see it clear.
I don’t want to die…
I just don’t want to live like this,
tied to a life I didn’t pick.
If I fade into the night,
it’s not surrender… it’s escape.
No…
it wasn’t love, it was a cage,
my whole life trapped on a page.
Even if it breaks me apart,
I choose the world… I choose my heart.
And if they look… I won’t be there,
the one who stayed… disappeared.
@newgirldark