I Have No Strings On Me

By R.T. Garner

I have no strings on me, you see,

No ties that bind, no shackles free.

In a world where minds are often chained,

I soar above, unrestrained.

They say it’s all in my head,

A choice, a whim, a thread

Of thought I could untangle with ease,

As if I control the stormy seas.

But I’m not their puppet, not their pawn,

I greet the dawn with courage drawn

From battles fought within unseen,

In spaces dark, where I’ve been.

Don’t tell me how I ought to feel,

Or claim my wounds can quickly heal

With just a thought, a fleeting wish,

As if my pain could vanish with a swish.

Mental illness is not a cage

Of my own making, nor a stage

For judgments cast by those unknowing,

It’s a path I walk, ever-growing.

So, let not your limits define my flight,

For in my heart, there’s boundless light.

I have no strings on me, you see,

I am my own, I am free.