Raised ,not known

a cage made of

love with no warmth
meant to trap me in an illusion
an illusion of belonging

but i don’t belong
and you don’t understand me
just because you nursed me
doesn’t mean you know me

cut off my wings so i wouldn’t fly
just so you could have someone to blame
someone to hold when it suited you
and release only when it hurt

i hurt
i cry
and sometimes the weight feels like it wants to swallow me whole

i get scared of the future,
scared of what waits if things don’t get lighter,
scared of what waits if they do

living burns in a way no fire can match,
a slow heat that crawls under the ribs
and refuses to cool

and yet i’m still here
breathing through the scorch
even when it feels like the air cuts back.