My Life

My mother imagined
my life a color TV,
its programs changeable
with the touch of a button
on a remote control.

My father imagined
my life a stage
on which I could switch characters
by the mere change of lights, makeup, hair and dress.

I imagined
my life a tiny cocoon
from which I longed to tear out,
see my vibrant wings --even just once--
beneath sunlight.

Translated from Farsi by Sholeh Wolpé