There is a woman.
You do not know her, but you have seen so many like her.
You see her stumble out of her home, ripping away at the fabric that binds her feet.
Then she runs.
The pampered pads of her feet pounding against her father’s land.
She passes over the soft, bountiful soil that will continue to bring her father great wealth.

There is a woman.
You do not know her, but you have seen so many like her.
She is running away from home
Away from the arms of love that warmed her during the bitter winters.
Away from the hurt that steeled her for the life, she was destined to live.
Away to the edge of the forest she used to play in when she was a child.
She still feels like just a child.

There is a woman.
You do not know her, but you have seen so many like her.
She stands frozen in the moonlight.
Staring into the darkness of the wood.
She knows not how far or where it goes.
She begins to walk.

Forward

Forward

She begins to run.

Forward

Forward

Until her legs are running just as fast as her tears.

There is a woman.
You do not know her, but you have seen so many like her.
All she has ever wanted was to be free
Like the hawk, who sails the winds of the sky.
All she has ever wanted was to live unburdened from her duty to be a bride.
She cries.

She runs.

She sprints through the forest
Branches and thorns tearing at her arms
And at her dress.
She bears this pain
Because she would much rather suffer this pain than the pain of subordination
The forced silence.

The blind obedience.

A chained soul.

There is a woman.
You do not know her, but you have seen so many like her.
She comes to a river. She stops, panting, out of breath.
She feels the cool breeze come off the water to kiss the surface of her salt-stained cheeks.
She falls to her knees, at the bank of the river.
She watches as the water splashes up against the shore.
Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Back and forth
And then she realizes
That the river never looks the same.
She closes her eyes
Hears the rippling of the river.
Breathe.

Breathe.
She stands
Breathe.

Breathe.
She wipes away her tears.

There is a woman.
You do not know her, but you have seen so many like her.
She begins to run again.
But now she is not alone.
She has the wind on her back
The moon over her shoulders
The river at her side.

There is a woman
You do not know her, but you were just like her.
You do not know her, and you will never see anyone like her again.