Editor’s Note: This piece was submitted by Early College High School Student Zach Balgos.
A young bairn weeps loud with freedom But fate decides what she’ll become.
A vast sky, looking below summer.
Sees a caged heart, cold as winter,
She can’t be too much, not much as a flame.
Downpours of judgment, flowing to her shame.
She can’t be too much, not more than an ocean’s wave, Caged below in the depths, confined as a slave.
Not even the stars can stop a heart, That stands for truth when she’s falling apart.
No more lies, no more rules For a woman, this woman, too wise for fools.
Author’s Note: I wrote this poem last year for my English class, after we read “The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare. I was inspired by the themes of independence and self-respect. With this poem, I wanted to express the strength and wisdom of a woman who refuses to be constrained by unfair rules.