Why The Caged Bird Sings

the moment i figured out
that being transgender
is like running away from home

i released the breath i had been holding subconsciously
and i let myself go
the moment i realized i let myself go
i sucked myself back in
my skin cracking with the sudden pressure

parts of me escape through the crevices
the parts of me i have been told since the beginning i was born to be
the parts of me i hoped i would become
patching them up
these pieces fit better

sometimes i still feel like something's missing
but she makes me feel whole
and i want to love her
with every little piece of me i do
but how am i supposed to love her
when i can't even love myself with the lights off?

pieces of me fall out
i try to escape my own skin
i try to run away from this confine i was born in
i cry out to release my soul so he doesn't have to stay here
i understand why the caged bird sings

is this wings beating desperately against caged walls
or my heartbeat rattling my bones
wings clipped by society's sharp words
like an pin
they keep me on the ground
i look to the heavens
and dream that one day
i may take flight