Brick By Brick
By: Sarah Rescigno
I’ve surrendered myself to the expectations
that pinion me, unable to break free
from the bounds of unyielding pressures.
I’ve laid in a cell that’s been constructed for me
by the bricks that have been strategically placed for me
by a society that works to oppress.
I’ve listened to the demands of those before me,
who have paved the way for my future
before I could imagine it myself.
But no longer will I fall victim
to those captives that keep me shackled.
I will break free.
Brick by brick I tear it down–
This wall that’s held me back.
Never again will I sit idly by.
I break my silence
and disrupt the peace
the way a woman should never do.
With strength I’ve been told I don’t have,
I destroy this prison of inequality
That’s kept me from my full potential.
Dirt cakes under my nails as
I claw at the dismantling wall before me.
I’m almost there.
The dreams I’ve been convinced I’ll never achieve
can be seen as light pours in through gaping holes.
I’m so close.
As I reach the last brick, I step outside.
Fresh air hits my face and the
feeling of newfound freedom engulfs me.
But in the distance, I see it.
Do my eyes deceive me?
Another wall– bricks piled high.
Will it ever end?