I am a prisoner to their expectations
They pull me by a leash of harsh words
“Dress like this,” they whine.
“You’re nobody,” they taunt.

I’m crammed into a frame that doesn’t fit.
I tiptoe around the mines that might blow
If I step outside the lines.
I’m tired of thinking inside the box,

It’s time to break the barriers.

I say boxes are too small to sit in;
Let alone think in.
I’m going to color outside the lines and forget what’s inside of them.
If you say the dress code is black tie,
I’m going to wear a purple one.
If you tell me to write a love song,
Then I’m Sara Bareilles and
“I’m not gonna write you a love song.”

The only poetry I write is free-verse,
And I like to paint everywhere but a canvas.
I say the sky is only the beginning,
Not the limit.

And that
Is how you break the barriers.