By: Adriene Im

Looking outside the eyes of my house, life
just seemed too short and too bright.
It was the sort of story swimming with glories
I would find in books that line my shelves.
I thought opening a book would give me a look
at the wonderful moments I had yet to possess.

life is too short to be staying inside
but I didn’t realize I ran from the light

When my battery ran dry, I would never forget
the nights spent under the covers reading instead.
I befriended the blue birds who sang to Cinderella.
I befriended the giant who lives atop Jack’s beanstalk.
I befriended the seven dwarves in their cave of diamonds.
But my bond to my house only tightened,
Keeping myself in the dark, scared of the circling sharks.
Made ready to fall prey by my own isolation.

life is too short to be staying inside
but I didn’t realize I ran from the light

Looking outside the house with my own eyes,
I saw a rainbow of life shining all over. The stories
I read couldn’t capture the red, cherry cheeks of children
playing in the lush, green lawns or the billions
of other hues embed in the world for me to collect.
No longer distressed, freed from my own house arrest.

life is too short to be staying inside
but I didn’t realize I ran from the light