a girl is a cage

I am the girl by the window. I’ve only seen winter bleed into spring behind the curtains, and when summer arrives, I only ever watch it bloom from behind the walls. In this little house, time passes through me like water by the creek, seamless and silent, undisturbed by the flicker of my candle. At times I ask myself what it must be like to embrace the soil, to let the dirt crawl under my nails. I can only dream of the grass brushing my calves and the scent of flowers every summer, and when the snow stretches over the hills, I’m always tempted to leave the fireplace to feel the cold burn against my cheeks. How much longer must I tell myself to stay inside a cage I’ve built for myself? When I can be out there with both footprints kissing the Earth. To be the sparrow that perches above the branches, away from the windowsill.

- A.Z, a girl is a cage