The Gate

Photo by Adi-DE on Unsplash

She assumed the intent
in constructing the fence
was rooted in some form
of protection.

To keep her safe, not captive;
secure, not afraid;
quiet and happy in
her acceptance
of her place, her roles,
in keeping the peace,
of staying safely
inside the boundary.

First she thrived, then survived,
before finally knowing
her “aliveness” required
more grounding
in truth obscured
by the
familiar fence.

Her open heart 
kept groping for ways
to live with integrity
inside the fence
until finally…
she found the gate.

Note: This poem was a response to a daily one word prompt (fence) during a Poetry Month challenge during April, 2026. Please forgive the redundancy if you encountered this before. I may revise other drafts that I posted as notes during the challenge, so they will appear in my archive here. As always, thank you for reading!