Bond by blood, bond by birth, bond by homeland--
you raised me, molded me and labeled me;
the clay of my mind was formed by your hands.
“Be a girl, be pretty” so that I be.
“Be sweet and frilly and pink” so I did.
Perched on my face, the mask sits joylessly--
it has sown itself to my skin-- a lid
screwed on too tight to my soul jar. Release
me from this mind prison. I haven't lived
only existed. Please, will you not cease
Building these borders around my heart and soul?
I am not here to confirm your beliefs--
I will erase the lines drawn in the sand--
And stand in the middle, the no man's land.
Heather Bryan is currently an undergraduate student at Fresno State University pursuing their Creative Writing degree. Their focus is on creative fiction with some forays into poetry. Outside of life as a writer and student, they enjoy reading, music, cats, long walks, and collecting anything dragon related. Most of all, they try to find wonder and imagination in everything they do.