The Image

The image you’ve created for yourself Is your biggest cage. It is a lie. A farce. An untruth you’ve lived for so long It is the only you you now know. But deep inside, you know. Something doesn’t feel right You know it is not the real you. Not the you you could be. Not the you you ache to become. But you’ve learned to shush that voice Drown that only sliver of hope In endless noise The people in your life — The relationships you chased, Collected, Curated — Embalm the image They patrol the gates And ensure that the prisoner never breaks free And now they are all you have. Because you pushed away The ones who saw the cracks. The ones who might have cut through the bars And set you free. The image you’ve created for yourself A lie you live for so long. It is your biggest cage.