Words of Art – Day 68 – Between the Lines

Between the Lines

In bounds. Out of bounds.
Onside. Offside.
Fair. Foul.
We have been taught
To live our lives
Between the lines.

Driving down the highway
My car now tells me if
I drift outside my lane,
Often forcing me back
Into compliance.
Back between the lines.

I pass through this life
Afraid to step across that line.
Afraid a wooden ruler will slap
My knuckles.
A ruler that measures whether
I have stayed 
Between the lines.

I yearn to find the courage
To finally step across that white stripe.
To find the courage to explore
The other side,
To take that step that finally
Gets me out from
Between the lines.

Roy W. Backes
© 2021