When I Was 18, A Reflection So Many Years Later - Margaret R. Sáraco

poem read by Timothy Arliss OBrien

When I Was 18, A Reflection So Many Years Later
Margaret R. Sáraco

I burst 

at overcrowded expectations

thrust upon me, the injustice

of preconceived notions

that thread my life

needlepoint to needlepoint

don’t tell me what to do

I spout, nothing graceful

in my ugly reaction

dribble, drabble, slobber

I don’t care

don’t tell me what to do

I tear at fibers

until I am only filament

pushing away a life I don’t want

and glad to be

or not

my choice

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Margaret R. Sáraco is a writer, spoken word artist, and activist who has published two poetry books:
If There Is No Wind and Even the Dog Was Quiet.
https://margaretsaraco.com