On a Butterfly's Wings

There was a time, I recollect from long ago
My dreams were limitless, I was unafraid
The limits of my imagination were interrupted
Only by those who had none
They were aged, had seen the measure of imagination's boundary
They assured me, philosophically, poetically, I'd never be free
In their castles today they rend themselves for the lives they've lived
For the life they've stolen from me
In their chrysalis, never to emerge
Never threatened, unable to see
What one day might blossom, the creature that has become "me"
The dreams, still limitless, afraid-affected by age
Nonetheless blossomed to what I should, I could be
Distant now, in their safe cocoons they rest silently
My wings, stronger now, set me free
Past half-life and wiser still
Filled with empathy, strong of will
I soar writing this to you, on my wings please appreciate empathy and the steadfast desire to be free, and what has become of me