There is no escape.
Everywhere I go, I am barraged by
Cacophonic voices, promising that
My future will be filled with success if I just
Conform, conform, conform,
Attend a prestigious university,
Marry a nice man,
Find a nice job and a nice house and
Live in comfort in the wealthiest nation in the world.
Silence!
You do not define me, and
I am no longer compelled to align myself with your demands.
You may remain inside your comfort zone of complacency;
As for me,
I shall be an adventurer,
Traversing oceans and deserts and mountains and
Journeying into the unknown.
I will plant rice with the leather-skinned subsistence farmers of Thailand,
Discuss solutions of peace with disillusioned students in Iran, and
Jump rope with child soldiers in Uganda.
I refuse to conform to your manner of striving for personal comfort and happiness
And achieving only monotony and apathy.
I am leaving behind your stifling conventionalities;
Watch as I come alive.