"I don't want you to go out on your own"

Those words have kept me trapped inside this cage
of walls and glass and wood floors
but also trapped under clothes that cover my skin
afraid of eyes that may peer through

Your safety and protection is like a warm blanket
that provides comfort
but it can also suffocate me on a sweltering summer night
freedom is a natural calling
and why do others get the sweet release
of opening a door
and not worrying about what could happen to them
when they walk down a street
why do I have to watch from windows
and wonder what it's like to have this sense of
normality and power
to be this person that can roam

Why do mothers warn their daughters
but don't tell their sons
that their sisters and friends
have the same skin as they do
that they deserve to walk out into the night
and not have to wonder about the eyes and tongues and fingers
that lurk behind them
why do we limit what the girls of this world can do
just for their safety
how will that accomplish anything
when we don't tell the boys of this world
that they don't have power over us