Poem: Carry Burdens Lightly

Pressure on my shoulders 
I cannot breathe as 
the gravity of life 
crushes my will 
and causes my bones 
to crack in tiny places 
this is not only encouraged
it is accepted as the way
it has always been
they teach me a trick 
to accept the burden 
and carry it lightly 
for the willow bends 
and does not break
even as gale-force winds
rip the ground away
all around it.