i have almost always behaved.

been the good student, daughter

citizen, mother, wife

 a rule follower is me

 

but sometimes i like to

lift the latch, push door open a bit

to peer outside

and think about the walls that restrain

a little bit rebellious

 

just because a barrier is there

does not mean its intentions

are honest

or fair

or reasonable

or even required

 

and the young one still inside

longs to run in the fields free

gather daisies from the grass

unfettered

 

lay down and stare up

at the blue-blue sky

identifying shapes in clouds

as they float on past

 

and this adult version

has the ability to choose, evaluate

decide which rules to follow

and which to discard

 

what was put there for good

what is fixed in value

and what just might be built

upon a foundation of someone else’s fear

 

            –ponderings

heather pound 2024

photo Unsplash+ by Ave Calvar