Work Text:
There are birds here,
Riding the wind,
They are not tethered to the trees that they rest in
The wind will carry them far from here,
To build nests within safer skies.
There are cats here
Leaping and bounding
Between the skyscrapers
And claiming them as their own.
They are not tethered to the they walk over.
Instead they roam,
Finding comfort
Among their stone forests.
There are fish here,
Swimming around rocks and through crevasses,
They are not tethered to the rivers in which they flit
Their tails will propel them to warmer waters,
Gracefully sliding, cutting and claiming the stream,
And splash glistening droplets on its banks.
There are bears here,
Roaring with all their might
Making the ground itself quiver
They are not tethered by the traps of humans,
Breaking free with their mighty claws,
And ruling the forest as a strong king might.
Their legs will carry them home,
When it comes time to share the forest with the snow,
And sleep instead.
There is a girl here,
Crying in chains on the floor,
Bloody and broken and running red,
And unlike the others,
She is tethered here.
There is no wind to ride.
There are no buildings to bound.
There are no rivers to swim.
There is no forest to share.
I am tethered,
Trapped only by me,
for I do not have the strength to leave
I do not have the confidence,
I do not have the grace.
Maybe in another life,
I could have been a bird
I could have been a cat
I could have been a fish
I could have been a bear
Maybe I could have been something else.
Someone else.