Society's shackles | Teen Ink

Society's shackles

June 7, 2014
By unicornpower PLATINUM, Tucson, Arizona
unicornpower PLATINUM, Tucson, Arizona
25 articles 0 photos 6 comments

I pull at the shackles
Bound to my wrists
The flesh now rubbed raw by my struggle,
I wince

I stare into the darkness of my prison,
A small shoe box room,
Windowless

If I could shed tears,
They would run down my cheeks
Burn hot against my skin,
Drip on my feet

But I do not whimper
I do not despair
For, the guards will see
And punish me

Self-pity is a great atrocity

And so I sit
My legs crossed
On the cold fractured cement

I sink into my imagination
If I were a bird I would fly free
The warmth of the sun's fingers
Would envelop me

I would drift with the will of the wind
Down grassy slopes,
Glowing green
In the light of spring

I open my eyes,
Once more in my prison
Once more in the dark,
Wether it be day or night
I see no glimmer of light

This is my life
My only expectation
My only strife

I know all too well
Change is not immeint
I am stuck in a shell

Yet this is not such a tragedy
Even in this blackness
In the gloom of this seemingly eternal tomb
I am not alone

I can hear the others moan.


The author's comments:
My poem is a metaphor for how the expectations of society hold people back, and in a sense turn them into prisoners. This is true for most if not all people. Even those who are popular and are socially excepted face the reality of having to fit into a cookie cutter mold. Prisoners are assigned numbers taking away identity. Like prisoners even if we say we are all unique in essence we are all products of a system where likewise we are just numbers. (Social security, school ID, standardized tests)

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on Aug. 8 2014 at 1:46 pm
violawritermady BRONZE, Lehi, Utah
3 articles 0 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The true artist does not create art as an end to himself. He creates it for others; humanity is the goal." -Bronislaw Huberman

Wow. This was simply beautiful. I loved it so much. The imagery was some of the best I have ever seen on this site. You are amazing! Never stop writing!