Lines to Follow
Trust us they said,
We will draw the lines for you.
They confidently declared,
We know what is best.
They looked on the world with disdain
with a need to protect us.
We have all the answers you need,
as they drew the lines to follow.
I stayed within the lines
and obediently followed the path
I listened closely to all their words,
For I wanted to be on the right side of the lines
Lines...
What to wear
How to dress
What to drink
What words are wrong
What movies to avoid
Who to love
What goals women should aspire to...
So many lines
This caused me to see lines in others
Preventing me from noticing the whole person
I could only see the lines
And judged those who were on the wrong side of the lines
So many lines...
The lines molded into bricks
The bricks became walls
Walls turned into a box trapping me in my rightness
I tunneled my way through the world
The world was evil and wicked,
Or so I had been told
And the lines of my box prevented me from seeing the good
Until one day I started to take down the lines
Line by line
My eyes could focus beyond my contrived tunnel
I was blind, but now I could see
I found a fascinating, complex world
Curiosity was my guide
I heard new words that reached my soul
I saw new and old faces, more clearly
I felt deeply the pain and joy of others
I experienced love as I had never experienced before
My vision expanded, my heart opened
I took the values I was taught to create my personal boundaries,
But not lines that prevented me from seeing others and seeing the world
I wonder where this journey through the world will lead me.
I am letting a Divine presence show me the way to follow,
For I am on my own road to Damascus.