Forced To Change

Wheels glide atop the concrete Round and round they go Lighting up the scooters Watching for hours Bodies full of energy Needing to expel Bored and tired just sitting here When I could be completing An important task Incessant talking about Nothing in particular Every now and then Begging to play with the neighbors I’m not that person The one who is okay With burdening others with my kids Unless they’re invited first I’m not the social mom Opting to stay home But I’m forced to change Into someone else Unhappy and no contentment There was once a time I wasn’t held down A small window The finish line was near Now stuck By responsibilities That wasn’t in the cards One minute almost free The next caught in a net Like crabs scooped up Ready to be devoured I did my time Raised my own Is this my life now? Anxious for school days, again Begging for extra time, again To write To relax To work on me Emotions swirl Anger, anxiety, Disappointment, But most of all, guilt For feeling selfish No one asked for this Especially the little ones A path uncharted Not mapped out yet Nephews Thrown in the mix I try my best not to complain And so my dear friend Thoughts are written On the page for you to read And for me to release This mountain Of bottled emotions © 2021