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Journey to Self-Discovery: A New Beginning



When I was in the 7th grade I wrote a poem inspired by Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. It was about a female, juvenile bird confined to a bird cage. The gist of it was...

It wasn’t so bad at the beginning as she fit just inside, but as she grew her back began to ache and the tips of her feathers wither away as she began to outgrow her cage. She was by a window that used to inspire dreams when she was younger but has started to starve her imagination as she began to lose hope in a life where she could spread her wings freely and sing as she pleased.

My English teacher returned an exam for the class to review. Bored and full of wonder, I began to write this poem on the margins of my graded exam. After I finished, I tore the poem from the exam and shoved it into my pocket. A while later I realized how foolish the poem seemed, “being an adult is about paying your bills, responsibilities, you do what you gotta do, this is life”. I removed the poem from my pocket and tore it to pieces. I intended to throw it away except, every rip made me sadder than the rip before; relinquishing the tiny shred of hope was too morose an idea.
 
I’m 24 years old now. Three Friday's ago I worked up the courage and gave my two weeks’ notice. Last Friday was my last day. I have been planning for 1 week, a few more days to go then I will travel to my parents’ place to see them before...the first day of the rest of my life begins, and I can’t wait!

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