Caged

 

Caged 

 

It wasn’t a gilded cage 

It was a cage forged of expectations 

She pushed against the bars 

But they did not budge. 

 

She couldn’t remember how  

She got locked into the cage 

Or when the bars went up 

Or when she realized she couldn’t leave. 

 

She was a good girl. 

Except when she wasn’t.  

Don’t be so loud, so passionate, so confident, so strong. 

Boys don’t like girls who are smarter than they are. 

 

She learned to tuck herself away. 

Good girls don’t upset anyone 

It is unladylike.  Serve the coffee.  

Paint your nails.  Smile. 

 

Go to work, but be careful 

Even if you rise to the C-Suite, don’t get too big. 

Plan the parties.  Stroke the egos. 

Serve.  Be a good girl.   

 

It got harder as she aged. 

And stopped being pretty.   

Lipstick and painted nails don’t hide wrinkles. 

Hair dye doesn’t hide a thickening waist.   

 

She paced inside the cage. 

And thought about how to break the bars 

She pushed and pushed,  

But it was futile.     

 

Years passed and she grew old and became invisible. 

She was no longer strong enough to push against the bars 

One afternoon, she unlatched the door  

And walked into the sun.