Pinnochio Poem by Maya Reid

I am not Pinnochio,
That’s something we both need to realize
I don’t have wooden limbs or strings
Nor do I see the world through glassy black eyes

I am not a mannequin
You cannot dress me up to look a certain way
I am not a robot
I will not do as you say

You cannot hook me on a line
As if I was a fish
And drag me along behind you
Through your every whim and wish

If you continue this way
The front door I’ll leave through
I’ll stand up and walk away
You’ll never see me again if I do

When you say “Jump”
I don’t have to
I have my own mind
And I’ll do what I want to do

You do not control me
I’m a free citizen in this and every state
Just please let me be until my eighteenth birthday
I can be rid of the nest on that date.