Life's hard for all

The Girl Without the Strings

I have been strung up

like a puppet,

with strings attached

Being told what to do,

How to do it,

where to go,

and who to talk to.

What will I do without my strings

to pull me toward someone else’s goal,

or away from something I long for?

What will I do once my strings

are no longer there—

no voices to tell me what to door

where to go?

Will I know how to walk?

Will I know how to talk?

What about how to interact with others?

Without my strings,

will I know who I am?

Without them,

Will I be a better me?

Someone who chooses themselves first

over the ones who strung me up.

Maybe, with those strings gone,

one day, when I am free,

I will be able to know what I feel.

I’ll finally be able to speak my mind,

To tell people how I really feel—

not what I was told to feel.