The contrast of freedom

And being kept a slave

To the undying demands

Of the modern world

They keep me

Hold me in a cage

Leaving nothing but scraps

As my frail body consumes itself whole

Not even my mind can be free –

For they lock it to the thick bones of my skull.

While I watch from afar

As children walk to school, friends in hand

Inhaling the sharp, piney scent of the cool breeze

Free to be whatever aroma it may choose

Even the air is freer

Than I will ever be.

They feel soft cotton brush against their cool skin

As they jump up and down

A rope gliding under their small

Pink and blue sneakers

That same rope

Constricts my every move.