In humble obedience
I loose myself
from the bands of my neck,
I rise
I stand up
shake myself free

What missive is this anyway?
What authority so advocates
for liberty? What judge commands
that I serve no penance,
that I be simply released?

What instruction is this,
that bids me fly on my desire
and soar up quickly
to infinity?
That bids me walk unburdened
from any self-induced
or generational weight

Shake yourself from the dust,
it says. What will this mean for me
in each new day? What worlds
I will master, if I but cleave
to this direction!
What songs I’ll sing
in the joy of fresh discovery!

©Wendy Mulhern
August 23, 2016