locked away in a prison 

 
of your perception of me 
 
i am under twenty-four-hour surveillance
 
i cannot make a move
 
without you comparing it 
 
to a decade ago 
 
i am a whole new person 
 
yet was put on trial 
 
for a mistake made 
 
out of people pleasing hopefulness
 
it’s not just 
 
what you are doing 
 
playing judge and jury 
 
for a crime that 
 
has surpassed 
 
the statute of limitation
 
will i get the chair 
 
the needle 
 
ultimately the grave
 
start digging 
 
with a spoon to make 
 
a tunnel 
 
someway to escape 
 
the resentment-based imprisonment 
 
i am scissors 
 
cutting the tie 
 
if only i had it in me 
 
to say “fuck you” 
 
instead i duck behind 
 
a poster hiding 
 
my way out