Unbound by Lochan Mourty
It starts out as a warm and pleasant feeling.
A soft white light is flipped on
Its gentle rays casting over your skin
As you accomplish the first amazing task,
Making all eyes turn to you.
Right away they see you
Not for who you are in person, but on paper
A record of greatness, a spark of talent
And they turn to you, their target locked.
At first, when they pull you in
It is a warm and comforting hug
A welcome to the world of the greatest
The ones who rise up above all.
Your brilliance is lauded,
Your many talents admired
The adored pet of the classroom
The favorite sibling of the house.
But then the rose-tinted glass
Falls to the floor and s h a t t e r s
As the expectations are set
And the walls close in.
The pace will pick up,
But, as you always have,
You will be expected to know what to do
And how to do it to perfection.
No one is there to hold your hand
Because why can’t you walk on your own?
No one will show you the way
Because shouldn’t you already know?
Suddenly, you’re not the best
Your image is destroyed
Disappointed faces and pitying words
Crowd around in your mind.
You struggle, gasping for air
As the pressure rises to meet you
Squeezing the breath out of your lungs
With an unflinching grip.
Those who were geniuses to begin with
And those who have no issue in getting help
Will coast on through their lives
Unbound by first impressions, free to live
While you are left straining
Struggling to squeeze into the shell
That everyone around you
Expected you to fit into with ease.
You are no longer the pet
For there is nothing in you worth noticing.
You are no longer the gifted
For you have long since been overshadowed.
You may still be regarded as the favorite
But you know you aren’t fit for that role
Because the person who earned you that title
Is now but a discarded husk...
The only turning point for you
Is the moment that you realize
That since you don’t fit your former molds anyway
You might as well cast them all aside.
It becomes time to let yourself breathe
To hold your own hand
To nurse your own wounds
And embrace your flaws.
Now you get to throw caution to the wind
Undo the restraints that left scars on your body
Break away from every stereotype
And forge a separate path from all the others.
You have to work harder
You have to change your view of yourself
Of your environment, of your world
You have to shake away from the burdens placed on you
And decide for yourself who you want to be
And what people should know about you
And what you truly stand for as a person.
Because only once you are able to do this
Will you be able to break through the chains
And live the rest of your life
Unbound.