They cannot contain me,
for I have eyes to see
beyond the confines
of their staunch,
unwindowed walls.
Their deliberately constructed
arguments and edicts
do not hold me,
for I have wings to take me
where the air is blue and filling.
And look! How small is
their unyielding world
seen from the sky!
As shoebox buildings
set upon a playroom floor.
So it is safe enough
for me to stay awhile,
to meet them as I might,
not blatantly disruptive
but quietly so.
Hands folded neatly in my lap,
my wings discreetly tucked
behind my back,
the sky's truth stirs
its color in my eyes.
-- Deb Cooper