Who I Will Not Be

In a café buzzing, two friends share their plans,

voices like sugar, softening demands.

I nod at their futures, the settling ground,

my heart twists inside me, the silence profound.

A slice of cake left, half-eaten, forlorn,

hints at what’s expected, the new shape I’d worn.

But deep in my chest, there’s a rebel who stings,

I won’t wear those chains, nor belong to their rings.