Because I thought I’d be safer there

I drilled holes in the walls so that I could at least gasp for air

Maybe that’s all I need

Gawking tourists looked in and I became a side show for gossip and entertainment

I wondered why I felt so small and powerless

I wondered why no one understood me

The men who came in and out of my life liked me where I was

When I spoke of leaving, their faces became confused and disgusted

I was most beautiful inside this cage

My lungs squeezed for years and years

My cheeks flushed with tears upon tears

I would either die as a shell or learn to love myself as I truly am

I finally crawled out and my limbs were weak and stiff

Breathing in and out fully burned my lungs

I moved to spaces much more open and I began to learn to walk again

I strolled alone for miles and miles

I collapsed many times before I learned to run

I look back on that time that I lived in a box

And I cry for the girl who knew nothing more