To: You

Let Me Be

I don't think you understand

I've tried my best

And I've done what I've could

I've worked hard against my own mind

I've overcome my hidden sadness

You're always expecting joy

Immediate service

And constant obedience.

I'm tired of that

I'm growing

I need space to move

Clamping down on that will only do us both harm

I'm a bird with new feathers

Eager to test them out

But you're a cage

Insisting you're keeping me safe

But at the same time my wings will wither

So I decide to grow in a different way

I become the weeds hidden behind your shack

The ones that avoid your gaze

The flowers that grow until you come back

I'm learning

I'm growing

So let me be

Let me know in a calm voice

Try to understand

Like how I tried to understand you

But you never do

You always believe that you're right

Even when you're wrong

I'm tired of this

Let's stop

I don't want to continue this

But it'll only last a little while

A small time where we'll come into conflict

Crossing at drastically different paths

I'm not the one you want

Let me be and let me fly

I'll learn with every fall

With every crash I'll understand

The experience will help me

So leave me

And let me be

So I can fly once again

And maybe with more confidence than before.