I no longer wish
to be
the mother-woman
who exists
only
to feed and soothe
my husband
raise and protect
my children.
I grew into this paragon
over many years.
The assumption of the virgin
that endured pain
for the promise of joy.
I very carefully cut these cords
from my past; my movements grow
erratic, irregular as my heart
then smooth, as I learn to walk
alone,
bound only by the strings
of my own choosing.