Let Me Grow

They kept me safe for so long,

told me what to do, what to say,

what not to think,

what not to be.

Then one day, they let go.

Told me to figure it out,

to be strong,

to never fail.

But how can I run

when I was never allowed to walk?

How can I choose

when every choice was made for me?

And when I fall, they shake their heads.

"You should know better"

"We taught you everything"

But they only taught me how to obey,

not how to live.

Still, I will learn.

I will make mistakes.

I will grow beyond their rules,

beyond their fear.

This is my expansion,

my life stretching beyond their limits.

Because this world is mine too,

and I won’t stay small anymore.

Ash Radison

Meet the Author: I pour my heart into poems about love, heartbreak, and the messy in-betweens, while my curiosity leads me to break down pop culture and song lyrics piece by piece. I share it all on my Medium blog—where overanalyzing isn’t a flaw, but a way of feeling everything a little deeper.