The Cage

One of the snippets from my upcoming book. Please support.

Copyright 2025 ©️ Sanya Kurd

I don’t know.

I didn’t feel it before…

Not in my early teens,

Nor in my early adulthood,

Not even when I was born.

But now…

I feel caged.

Short of breath.

Like a bird confined without consent.

Every day I glance at my wings…

Beautiful, bold in color.

Every day I feel my will to fly

Eager. Desperate. I cry.

When I try to open my wings,

Feathers shimmer like a dancing peacock.

Eminent with pearls and jewels,

Adorned in glitter, sparkling with dreams.

Yet despite the beauty,

Despite the elegance,

I struggle to straighten them.

The cage binds me.

Captivity chokes me.

I didn’t know I was caged,

Until I birthed the will to fly.

I didn’t know I was a hostage,

Until I yearned for the sky.

I didn’t know they controlled the air,

Until I tried to breathe with all my might.

Why am I caged?

I ask myself.

Why am I not allowed,

To invent?

To risk?

To see?

The bars are narrow.

They limit my sight.

How do I escape this cage?

I raise my plight

High to the heavens,

Higher than my height.

I send my plea

To the Highest in the sky.

I look for answers…

But there’s no reply.

The captivity is heavier now

Because I dared to dream.

I planted seeds

That still need to be reaped.

Every time I plan escape,

A crack appears in my will.

Every time I try to fly,

They clip another wing.

Every time I long for air,

They show a mirror,

Forcing me to stare.

I look at myself

Naked. Bare.

My bones visible

Through the fragments of skin.

My flesh has dried

From agony,

Yet I grin.

Hi! I wrote this piece from a very down place. Writing and venting helped me get up. It’s hard to process emotions tbh but we somehow find ways to manage it, right?

Do check out my novel. Would really appreciate that.