Being A Woman

The confines on my womanhood bog me down,
Holding me underwater, struggling to breathe.
Each move is a test of my endurance,
Fighting forward for every step.

Who am I, really?
Buried under so many roles.
I strain to see myself for who I am
But the image is too often distorted.

I long to break free of this life,
To be someone with worth and meaning.
I want to cast aside expectations of me
And find where I belong and fit in.

As a wife I continue on each day
Yet feel alone in so many ways.
The emptiness consumes me
And threatens to drown my soul.

As a mother I dream of comfort,
Of being a source of love for my child.
I struggle to balance my emotions
So that I can be what it is she needs.

Under all of this, what is left of me?
A shadow of a girl with so many dreams.
A spirit longing for release and for wings.
I am only what I am, it is all I can be.