THE HAWK
Walls constructed
From babyhood on
To prevent you
From hurting me
Again.
Walls that prevent
Me from living free
Continuous cycles of
“I can’t, I won’t,
What if?”
We’re shackled by our thoughts,
They get stronger with age
We may see fear’s illusion,
We still can’t turn the page.
With heavy hearts we
Drag ourselves into our day,
Wondering what will be the next thing
To get in our way?
What will people think?
They might judge our wounds,
Our daily mistakes —
We know we are doomed.
A long time ago,
I saw a hawk in a cage,
When they opened the door
The hawk just stayed inside.
Free to fly,
Yet not free to fly.
His mind had been trained.
I looked at that hawk,
And thought, “Why,
That’s me!”
(But it doesn’t have to be.)
I’m locked up inside
Though I could be free
Boulders of fear
Of cannots and what ifs.
It’s my decision
To fly or stay locked
Inside the walls of fear
And the prison of self-contempt.
I choose Freedom!
