a cage by Rishabh Jain (18, India)

a cage.
a barrier to your life.
an insurmountable wall.
an unbreakable shield.

like birds with their wings clipped.
like predators tamed by fear.
like art contained within a frame.
like humans without free will.

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​it keeps us contained.
it keeps us from thinking.
from exploring.
from questioning.

who will ask the questions if not us?
who will ask them if we can’t?
how will we ask them like this?
when we are shackled and bound.

instead, we ask ourselves.
was that correct?
was that acceptable?
was what we did okay in the eyes of society?

the answer is, it doesn’t matter.
it doesn’t matter what society thinks.
it doesn’t matter what the norm is.
it doesn’t matter what the expectations of us are.

expectations. that is the cage.
of our family.
of society.
of everyone we know.

expectations are what make us question ourselves.
what make us doubt.
what hold us back from the leap.
what keep us from thinking outside the box.

those few who do, are shamed.
how dare they go against the expectations?
how dare they take the road less travelled?
how dare they stand out?

but why shouldn’t we?
why shouldn’t we separate ourselves from the crowd?
why should we do as everyone else does?
why should we force ourselves to be normal?

why force ourselves to be something we’re not?
why act as if it’s not an act?
why should we shackle ourselves?
why shouldn’t we take the leap?