I was meant to go places

but I was too afraid

so I hid in a bottle

and became a display.

Trying to preserve myself

might have been a mistake

because now I crave touch

but I’m perfectly encased.

Now I’ve come to realize

as I get older with age

I wasn’t fragile to begin with

I made myself this way

piecing myself together

in a teeny tiny space.

I limited my horizon

when I had potential for waves

but I know better now

this glass, I can break

and when the shards fall

I won’t be bound to one place.

Cover art and poetry by Valerie Parente.