Boundaries Poem by Ashraf Karayath

Your question, ‘Do you love me? ’
Gives no option but a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’
Depriving my choices, killing my abundance,
Leaving me with this dichotomy, ‘this’, or ‘that’

Repeatedly I am asked this question,
Very demanding, and difficult to answer
‘Yes’ denies ‘no’, ‘no’ denies ‘yes’
Let me be silent; it doesn’t deny my love, though.

You gave me rules to abide by, customs to follow
And words to think - utterances of judgment,
Noise of raw encounters, symbols of barren peripheries
You block my mind, shut my heart’s door

Yet, I loved your words and I lied to you with them,
Surrendering the real me, being a victim,
Being your reflection, blocking my true self,
Setting unbreakable boundaries for centuries

Let me end this long suffering,
Shatter the limits you have set, and explore;
To dive beneath the depth of my soul,
To soar beyond the heights of your world